


The Clement Guys

by LexLemon



Category: The Nice Guys (2016)
Genre: And confused about pregnancy, Explicit Language, Forgiveness, Healy is a softie, Kind of romantic but not really?, Not-so-subtle hints at romance, Other, Second Chances, friendship fluff, that’s the only reason it’s rated M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-08-25 05:41:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 33,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16655290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LexLemon/pseuds/LexLemon
Summary: Jackson Healy never thought that he would see his ex-wife again after their divorce. So imagine his surprise when she shows up at his door nine months pregnant with a case for him to solve.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clement, /klem-uhnt/, adjective: mild or merciful in disposition or character; lenient; compassionate

The local drugstore seemed to be filled to the brim with people that day. Holland March couldn't believe it.

Everywhere he looked, people were clamoring for their necessities as they walked through the aisles. Sure, they were walking slow as shit and there was at least legroom, but it was August for Christ's sake. August wasn't the time to be swarming drugstores. It was the time to be appreciating the last moments of Summer.

Still, Holland couldn't complain. He was one of the saps inside the drugstore on that August day too. Lucky him.

As Holland stared at the rows of shaving cream before him, he suddenly heard a voice call from behind, "March!"

Holland gave a small jump then turned around to see who it was. Once he realized it was his business associate, Jackson Healy, he sighed against the shelf. "Jesus. What, Healy?"

"Look what I found." Healy held up a pack of YooHoo chocolate milk with a smile that made it seem like he had just found buried treasure.

Holland wasn't seeing the appeal. "So?"

"It's YooHoo."

"I know what it is, Healy. You buy it every fucking week. What about it?"

"It's on sale. $1.50."

$1.50 for chocolate milk that wasn't even that good? Holland's eyes almost popped out of his head at the thought.

He glanced at the other shelves in between them and saw that everything else was on sale too. No wonder the drugstore was packed. People were suckers for a sale.

Holland suddenly remembered that Healy was standing in front of him, waiting for a reply. Ah, fuck it. Let the man have his drinks. Holland didn't want to see what would happen if he said no. Besides, he already had some new additions to his beer collection inside the basket he was carrying on his arm. He couldn't deny Healy his habits when he had ones of his own.

Holland sighed, "Fine. Put them in."

"Yes!" As Healy put the case in the basket, he said, "I can pay for it myself, if you want."

"Yeah, sure. Let's just pay for the rest of this shit and get out of here."

Holland tossed a random shaving cream container into the basket. He rarely used the stuff anyway so he didn't give a shit on what kind it was.

Healy was about to step out of the aisle when his eyes drifted over to the Customer Service section. A woman stood before the counter with golden blonde hair hanging down her head while also in a large up-do on top. She probably hadn't been able to decide on what to do with her hair that day.

Healy once knew a woman who had been the same way. He hadn't thought about her in ages. But now, it was all coming back. Shit. He hated thinking about her. She made Healy feel like crap. That backstabbing, no good, slutty bitch.

Healy tried blocking her out but it was too late. The woman at the counter had started talking. "I'm telling you, I made a call earlier this morning for you to put some items on hold for me."

Healy's emotions had quickly shifted from depression to sheer panic. It was her. She was here. Why the fuck was she here?

Before Holland could follow him, Healy shoved him back into the aisle. The two pressed their backs against the shelf as Healy let out small, quick breaths.

Holland turned to his friend and asked, "What the fuck are you doing?!"

Healy shushed him before replying in a loud whisper, "We can't go. Not yet."

Holland was definitely not in the mood to act like they _were_ on a case. Well, they were on a case but not at that moment. Still, Healy seemed distressed, so he decided to play along.

Dropping his voice to a whisper, Holland asked, "Why not?"

"She's here."

Well, that explained basically nothing for Holland. "Who's here?"

"June."

June. Where had Holland heard that name before? He tried running through the roster of girls he knew. There was only one June that popped up. Now, Holland panicked as well. No. No way was she here.

"Ex-wife June?"

"Uh huh."

"The June that fucked your dad?"

"That's the one."

"What the fuck is she doing here?"

"How should I know?!"

The two suddenly looked ahead and saw a woman facing across from them, giving them a confused side eye.

"Nothing to see here. Move along," Holland scolded. God, people were nosy.

Once the woman left, Holland asked, "Where is she?"

"Customer Service."

The two poked their heads out from the end of the aisle and spied on the supposed June from afar.

Holland asked, "Are you sure that's her?"

"Positive."

"Did you see her face?"

"No."

"Well, then how do you know that it's her?"

"Her hair. She always had her hair like that."

"We're judging this by her hair?" Holland almost wanted to slap him for this. Had Healy learned nothing in his detective training?

His friend added, "I heard her talk too. I'd know that voice anywhere."

June had a real snotty, bitchy voice. Healy hadn't noticed it at first. He was too busy falling head over heels for her. But then, her true colors came out and he realized she'd always sounded like that. Too bad he hadn't noticed sooner.

Holland stated, "Well, maybe it's not her. Lots of girls can have that hair and sound like whatever the fuck she sounds like, right?"

He had a point. Healy couldn't deny that.

Before he could answer, the employee working at Customer Service asked, "Can I have your name, ma'am?"

"June Healy."

Fuck. It was her.

The two groaned and quickly pressed back against the shelf.

Holland asked, "She kept the name?"

"Yeah. She thought that she didn't have to since she was dating my old man."

Holland couldn't help but shrug. That wasn't a bad idea. It made sense, after all.

As Healy muttered expletives under his breath, his friend asked, "Do you think she has a ring?"

"What?"

"You know, taking the next step. Do you think she got remarried?"

"To my dad? No. They'd never go through with marriage again."

"Well, what about someone else? Did they break it off?"

"No. Every time I speak to the old man, he brings her up." Healy hated when he did that. He knew his dad did it just to gut him. That was the kind of sick bastard that he was.

Holland added, "And she just said that her name was Healy."

"Right, right."

If Holland hadn't felt like an idiot before, he certainly did now. He began to grow antsy as they stood against the shelf in silence. He said, "It wouldn't hurt to check if she had one."

Healy wanted to do it now. The curiosity was starting to grow in him too. "Alright, fine. We'll quickly check as she's leaving."

The two poked their heads out again and watched as June picked up a paper bag in front of her. She thanked the employee then turned around to leave.

The men tried looking at her hand but were soon distracted by a different part of her. Her stomach was huge. But it wasn't the kind of stomach that was created from gaining a few pounds. It was the kind that had a human being growing inside of it.

The two recoiled in horror then returned to their position against the shelf. They held their breath as June walked past them and sauntered out of the tiny corner store. Once alone, they let out their fears as best as they could.

"Holy shit."

"Jesus Christ."

"She's pregnant."

"She's _really_ pregnant."

"She's pregnant with my dad's kid."

The two were frozen against the shelf, wanting to leave but finding themselves stuck.

Healy didn't want to believe it. He tried with all his might, but he couldn't fucking do it. He'd seen it. He'd seen her. The truth was right in front of him. It had walked right past him without batting an eye.

As everything settled in, something else popped into Healy's head as well. "I'm going to be a brother."

The silence that came after that statement was unbearable. The reality of the situation suddenly hit them and they gagged at the very thought. They _really_ hadn't needed the image of how it all happened popping into their heads.

As Holland regained his strength, he looked down and saw a small boy staring up at them. Jesus Christ, did no one have anything better to do?

Holland waved his hand at him and ordered, "Go on. Beat it. Go...Go find your mom or something, I don't know."

Once the kid was gone, he sighed, "Okay, I think we can both agree that this is getting weird and we need to get the fuck out of here as fast as we can."

"Absolutely."

"Come on."

The two briskly walked out of the aisle and made their way to the door.

Holland quickly remembered the extra weight in his right hand just before they left the premise. He turned around and began walking toward one of the cash registers, Healy soon following behind him.

Holland held up the basket and stated, "We have to pay for these."

"Right."

So much for a quick getaway.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Assignation, /as-ig-ney-shuhn/, noun: an appointment for a meeting, especially a lover's secret rendezvous

Healy and Holland had taken their purchases back to their lavish Stafford Drive home and tried to erase June from their minds. Healy had for the most part. What hadn't helped was Holland constantly talking about her on the drive back. He mainly brought up the fact of how disgusting it was to even consider June conceiving Healy's dad's child. One time would have been plenty, but he mentioned it the entire ride home.

Healy had been ready to smack him upside the head to get him to shut up about it, but he was too busy being a safe driver. He could take Holland's yapping as long as he needed to. Getting pulled over? Forget it.

Once they pulled into the driveway, the two men unloaded their purchases inside and forgot all about June and her pregnant stomach.

As the next day rolled around, Healy found himself nursing a headache in his room while Holland was on the phone with their client. Standing against the kitchen bar, he said, "Yes, Mrs. Warner, we've been talking to all of Ethan's friends...Yes, even Billy...Well, we're trying the best we can, Mrs. Warner. His friends haven't given us much to work with...Yes, actually. That, uh, that one boy, Jason, he may have given us a potential lead. Mr. Healy and I plan on investigating it tomorrow...Yes, I'm afraid Mr. Healy isn't feeling his best today, and I tend to work much better with him at my side...Absolutely, ma'am. You'll be the first to know the details of what we find out...Of course, ma'am. You have a good day now. Don't think about it too much, alright?...Alright, goodbye."

Holland set down the receiver and gripped his hands onto the end of the bar. Arching his back, he bent down and let out a groan. "'Don't think about it too much?'" he asked aloud. "Jesus Christ. What the fuck is wrong with me? The woman's son is missing and I tell her, 'Don't think about it too much.' What kind of fucking advice is that?"

Holland paused for a moment, expecting Healy to reply. All he was met with was silence. Shit. His headache. Right. He had probably just made it worse. Still, total silence was unbearable, and Holland couldn't wait all day to get his thoughts out.

He leaned up against the bar and pulled out a cigarette, explaining, "It's her own fault, though. The woman was hounding me. Those are the worst kinds of clients, Healy. I'm sure you've noticed. The ones that just ask you day after day after day on any development. I mean, Jesus Christ, lady, let me do my fucking work! If I get something new, I'll let you know!" He raised the lighter to his cigarette, muttering, "Unbelievable."

Just before the flame could make contact, a knock sounded at the front door. Great. Another case was just what they needed. Because dealing with one distraught woman wasn't enough, no. They needed _two_ distraught women on their asses.

Holland put away his cigarette and sighed, trudging toward the front door. He looked through the peephole and saw an impatient blonde standing on his stoop. Not just any impatient blonde. June Healy.

Holland pressed his back against the door and started trembling like a chihuahua. Why was she there? Out of all the beautiful blondes the world had to offer, why was it her? More importantly, how the fuck had she found them?

Holland tried calling out his partner's name, but all that came out was the first syllable in the form of heavy panting. His breathing grew more rapid until he eventually mustered, "HEALY!"

From where he laid on his bed, Healy slowly opened his eyes and let out a sigh. All he'd wanted was an hour to rest. It wasn't asking for much. He should have known that when one lives with Holland March, that wasn't an option.

Slowly pulling himself out of bed, Healy grabbed the .38 on his nightstand and walked out to see Holland. Once he faced his shaking friend, he asked, "Where is it?"

For once, Holland said nothing. Instead, he pointed at the door.

Healy raised an eyebrow at the gesture. "Outside?"

"Yeah."

"It's outside?"

"Uh huh."

Jesus Christ. This guy.

"March, if the spider is already outside, then what good is it to me?"

Holland slumped his shoulders and immediately stopped shaking. A spider? Well, from what he'd heard about her, June was pretty close to one. Still, where had he gotten _that_ from?

"What do you mean, a spider?"

"You only yell like that when there's a spider."

Oh. Holland never realized that his screams had a system. Good to know.

"I-It's not a spider. But it's pretty damn close."

Holland moved to the side so Healy could look through the peephole. Once he saw June, he pressed himself against the door as well. No way was she here. Not after all this time.

"What the fuck is she doing here, March?"

"I don't know! I haven't opened the door yet!"

"How did she find us? Do you think she saw us yesterday?"

"Stop asking things I don't know the answer to, Healy!"

"We can't let her in."

"And leave her standing out there?"

"It's June! The June! I've told you enough for you to know that you don't want to get involved!"

"I'm letting her in."

"Fine, but I'm not staying around."

"And make _me_ do the dirty work? That's not how we work, Healy!"

Before anything else could be said, Healy stepped aside and pressed himself against the living room wall.

Holland glared at his partner and was disappointed in him. For a self-made tough guy, he sure acted like a chicken.

"You're such a baby," he spat before turning the doorknob.

The door opened to reveal June standing before him, still pregnant and still looking as tired as she had the day before.

Holland greeted in a polite tone, "Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Yes, I believe Jackson Healy lives here."

"Yes, he does. But I'm afraid that he isn't here right now."

So he wanted to play that game. Well, June could end it as quickly as it had begun. She let out a bitter chuckle then stated, "I know he's here. Your door's as thin as your chicken thighs."

And just like that, Holland's confidence melted away. His smile had turned into a frown, and he felt himself grab at his thigh. If there was one way to shake Holland March to his core, it was mentioning his unusually skinny body in front of him.

June let herself in and looked around at the foyer. She had to admit that she was impressed. From where they used to live, this was a step up for her ex-husband. Turning her head to the left, June found Healy standing in the middle of the room, a blank expression on his face. She looked at him the same way.

The moment was a little surreal for the both of them. They'd never expected to see each other again after the divorce. They made sure to move as far away from each other as possible. Still, fate had a funny way of pulling things back together. Lucky them.

The ex-lovers stared each other down before Healy uttered, "June."

"Jack."

"It's been some time."

"A few years, actually. I see you haven't changed a bit since we signed those papers."

"And you've changed in more ways than one."

Holland sensed the tension in the room and didn't like that he was a part of it. He felt himself break into a sweat but held it back before either Healy could notice. Changing the subject, he cleared his throat, "So, uh, June, is it? Is there a...particular reason you're here?"

Oh, right. The real reason. Not just to find out if Jack did in fact live in the nice house she found herself standing in.

June gently turned her head back and replied, "Yes, actually. There is." She turned back to Healy and explained, "I hear you're a private investigator now. So I have a case for you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Impute, /im-pyoot/, verb, law definition: to ascribe to or charge (a person) with an act or quality because of the conduct of another over whom one has control or for whose acts or conduct one is responsible

Holland and the two Healys sat across from each other in the living room, never taking their eyes off the other person. Tensions were running high, and the house was filled with a dead silence.

Holland felt like he was on one of those nature documentaries he'd watched the other night; The predator watching its prey's every move, waiting for the right moment to strike. He wasn't exactly sure who was what in his situation, though. But he knew someone had to talk sooner or later.

It turned out to be June. She took a swig of the glass of water Holland had given her then looked directly at her ex-husband. "So, how long has this been going on?" she asked in the tired voice she had taken on for the last several months.

"Almost a year."

June nodded to herself. Was that a smirk on her face? Wasn't that the face she made when she was impressed by something?

"What did you do to end up like this, anyway?" She turned to Holland and found herself chuckling, "What, did he beat the crap out of you or something? I wouldn't be surprised."

The two men exchanged a panicked glance. Holland's face said it all: _Don't say a fucking word._ Right.

Healy looked at June and replied, "That's not important."

June shrugged. It was worth a shot. "So you live here too, huh?"

Jesus Christ, what was with the interrogation? Didn't she say she had a case for them? Still, she was going to keep pressing if Healy didn't answer soon. "Yeah."

"And it's your house?" June asked Holland.

Holland wasn't really sure what she was trying to get out of these questions. All it was doing was making him break into a sweat.

"Well, uh, yeah, it's, uh-" He cleared his throat and took the last sip of the beer in front of him. God, why was she making him nervous? He was usually so calm around women. Why was this one making him feel like shit? He realized in that moment that June was the predator. And he was the fucking meerkat getting ripped to shreds by her.

Once Holland came back to his senses, he replied, "Yes, th-this is my house."

June began to chuckle again. She never thought her old flame would find a friend. Well, look at him now.

Holland was getting sick of the woman sitting on his couch and was ready to kick her out. But a client was a client. And a client meant money. He quickly rubbed his temples then sighed, "Look, do you have a case for us or not?"

"Oh, right. The case. God, I've just been so all over the place lately. What with the baby and all." June glanced at Healy with as smug a face as there could ever be. There it was. Hook, line, and sinker.

Healy didn't flinch at the comment. He'd trained for this moment. He wasn't going to react. She'd definitely gotten him, but he wasn't going to let her see. Not by a long shot.

June fished through her pocketbook and eventually pulled out what looked like a small photograph. She started, "So I have this friend, right? She's a good friend. I've known her for a few years now. We hang out sometimes. She's been helping me get everything ready for the baby. Well, besides the help I get from Mr. Healy."

"Is there a point to this story, or are we just celebrating what a great friend you have?" Holland cut in.

June shook her head in dismay. Focus, June. Focus on what matters. "Right, yeah. I'm sorry. I just...It's been rough, you know? Since she went missing."

The men raised their eyebrows at this statement. They were getting somewhere now.

"Missing?" Healy asked.

June sighed, "Yeah. So...three days ago, my friend calls me up and asks if I want to go out to dinner with her. I say yes, and she says she'll pick me up in an hour. So I get myself all ready, and I wait by the window for her to come by. An hour passes and she still hasn't come. I wait another hour and I tell myself to give up. She isn't coming.

"So of course I'm wondering what the hell happened to her. I call her up the next day and no one picks up. I call her again and there's no answer. Now I'm concerned. So I drive up to her place and I see that her car's gone. I wait a few minutes, but she never comes home. So I call it quits and take myself home. I do it all again yesterday and there still isn't anything. There's no sign of her and I just...I feel like something bad's happened to her."

June felt tears coming and she tried to hold them back. She pulled out a mascara-smeared tissue from her pocketbook and dabbed by her eyes with it.

The men watched her cry and didn't utter a word as she did. Every other client that came to them was a crier, so they had gotten used to it. Plus, they never really knew how to react when the waterworks started, so they just let it happen. It always stopped eventually.

Once June composed herself, she continued, "So I tell myself that enough is enough and I need some help in finding her. I pull out the phonebook, and I see an ad for some private detectives. They call themselves the Nice Guys Agency. Great name, by the way. It had to be your idea, Stick, because it certainly wasn't Jack's."

Fuck her. Holland was proud of the name. He didn't need her criticism.

She continued, "Anyway, I'm looking at this ad and I'm thinking to myself, 'That _can't_ be Jack, can it?' But I need to find my friend, and if you were able to help, well, that's all that mattered. So here we are."

"Is that a picture you have of her?" Healy asked, pointing at what she was holding.

"Oh, yeah. This is her."

June held up the picture for the men, and they leaned in to see it. They found themselves looking at an olive-skinned woman with wavy brown hair that flowed past her shoulders. The picture was only from her shoulders up and it looked like she was wearing a bikini. Holland thought that she could have come straight out of a magazine. He was almost wishing she was the woman sitting before them instead of the bitch they currently had.

As he took the picture from June, she added, "Her name's Lexie. Lexie Rogers."

"Now, uh, Mrs. Healy-"

"Oh, June, please. I don't want to make Jack feel awkward."

Healy knew that was bullshit, but he was too pissed off to care at that point.

Holland cleared his throat, "Right, uh, June. I know you've been saying that you're not entirely sure of what happened to Lexie. But do you have any idea at all if something could have provoked this? Has there been...something going on with her that seemed suspicious? Maybe hanging out with some shady characters."

Shady characters? Who did this guy think he was, Dick Tracy?

Holland's words seemed to hit home, however, as June's eyes lit up. "Yeah. You know, there was. So Lexie's had this boyfriend for some time now. Tom...Tom Clancy, that's it. I never liked him. He always seemed to be treating her bad. Well, the last time I saw them together, she fought back for once, and I could tell he didn't like it. God, if he did something to her..." She felt herself choking up again but held back her tears. She'd cried enough already.

June calmed down and stated, "Please. Please find her for me. Look, I know I've treated you like shit, Jack, and I probably deserve it. But you're all I have right now."

Don't let her see, Jack. Don't let her know you're giving in.

Healy kept a steady gaze on June, staring at that gentle face he'd fallen in love with all those years ago. Damn it, Jack. She was a bitch. That was what he needed to keep telling himself. She was a bitch, and that's all it would ever amount to.

June reached back into her bag and pulled out a wad of cash. She placed it on the coffee table and said, "There. That's $400. Is that enough?"

"It's perfect," Holland cut in. He grabbed the cash like it was going to jump off the table if he didn't take it in that moment. He looked over at June with the most polite smile he could muster up. Yeah, she had been a bitch to him and Healy, but she was still a client. He could at least try to keep up with the formalities of the job. "We'll start right away, June."

"Oh, thank you. Thank you, guys. Really." She picked herself up, clutching her stomach, then reached out to shake Holland's hand. "God, with this whole mess, I never even got your name."

"Oh, it's March. Holland March."

"Mr. March, thank you."

June turned toward Healy, and the two stared at each other, neither one making a move. They weren't entirely sure of how to act next. Hugging was way too far, and shaking hands would probably be awkward. But that seemed like it was the only option they had. They shook their hands together in a stiff motion, never looking away from the other's face.

"Jack."

"June."

June took up her pocketbook and began to head towards the door. Before she left, she stopped and felt a smirk creep onto her face. One last jab wouldn't hurt.

June turned back and called, "Oh, by the way, Jack-" She placed her hand over her stomach and let her smirk grow wider. "-Your old man says hi."

Healy tried to stop it, but it was too late. His hand clenched into a fist and it stayed at his side, beginning to shake. June looked down at it and let her teeth show with her smile. Her work was done.

With a toss of her hair, she opened the front door and stepped back into the real world.

Once the men were alone again, Holland whipped his head around toward his friend. "I don't ever want her back in this house, Healy. I don't care how much money she tries to give you. She's not coming in here and giving us shit again, do you fucking hear me?" He then stomped into the kitchen and went to grab himself another drink.

Healy didn't bother to reply to him. He unclenched his fist and placed his hand over his forehead with a sigh. His headache was back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quandary, /kwon-duh-ree/, noun: a state of perplexity or uncertainty, especially as to what to do; dilemma

Holland held up the photograph of Lexie to the record store owner while Healy stood at his side. "You're sure you haven't seen this girl anywhere in the past week?" he asked.

The store owner shook his head with a shrug. "Can't say that I have."

"What about a guy? Have you met someone named Tom Clancy recently?" Healy spoke up. He had his tough guy act on; Arms crossed, a steady gaze, ready to whip out the brass ring if an ass-kicking was necessary. He'd been lucky so far that he hadn't needed to. Still, it didn't hurt to be prepared.

The store owner thought over the name to himself, but he couldn't come up with anything. "It's not ringing any bells. Sorry, guys."

With a large sigh, Holland pulled his arm back and tucked the picture into his pocket. The two men had spent the entire day after June's visit searching Los Angeles for her friend but were met with the same result every time. It was days like these where Holland wondered why he even bothered with his job. He then remembered June's cash burning a hole in his pocket and gave it a small pat. Yup. That was why he bothered.

Holland gave a small wave to the store owner then stated, "Thanks anyway."

Healy followed behind him as they left the store, dropping his act. "I don't get it," Holland ranted as he slipped on his sunglasses. "How has no one seen either of them? This should be easy; We ask around, we get at least _some_ kind of information from someone, we find them, we rest easy. How come no one knows anything about them?"

"You're acting like this isn't normal."

"What?"

"Well, it usually takes us a few days to get information that's useful. I mean, look at the Warner kid. It took some time before his friend finally opened up to us about him. It might be the same with this one too."

"Yeah, but the people we investigate are usually pretty popular in the neighborhood. Everyone we asked has never even _heard_ of these two assholes. Isn't that a little weird to you, Healy?"

Healy had to agree with him on that. That did seem a little strange. Still, he noticed that Holland seemed to be more high-strung than usual as they walked back to their car.

"Why is this bothering you so much, March?"

"I don't know. I think it's that this involves June. I never wanted to meet her from everything you told me about her. Now, it seems like she's everywhere. Is this what it was like for you?"

"I tried to tell you."

"Jesus."

As they approached their small blue Camaro, Holland rolled his eyes and walked over to the windshield. "Oh, for God's sake," he groaned, "There's another damn flyer on the windshield! Does it ever end with these people? Leave us alone!"

He went over to the driver's side and yanked a small piece of paper from under the wiper. Opening it up, he was surprised to find Healy's name written inside. "Uh, Healy?"

"Yeah?"

"It's for you."

For him? What the fuck did he mean, for him? With a furrowed brow, Healy walked over to his friend and took the paper from him. Putting on his glasses, he read aloud, "'Jackson Healy, I hear you're trying to get information on Lexie Rogers' whereabouts. I may have something that can be useful to you. Meet me at the bench across the street from the high school at 7:30 tonight. Come alone.'"

Healy looked over at Holland with the same confused expression he had going into the letter. "What do you think this means?" he asked.

Getting into the car, Holland replied, "I know exactly what it means. It means that you have a date tonight, my friend."

Healy looked out at the street ahead of him and felt his shoulders begin to sag. Great. Because a date was exactly what he needed right now.

~

Holland wasn't entirely comfortable with driving Healy to meet someone that was probably going to try to kill him. But if they had even the smallest detail on Lexie, it just might get them one step further to solving the whole damn thing.

As he parked a few feet away from the high school, Holland explained, "Now remember, I'm going to be sitting right here the whole time."

"Right."

"If you need backup, you just yell for me, okay?"

"Got it."

"And don't let this guy take you down. Whoever the fuck he is, he isn't shit compared to you, Healy."

"You think I don't know that?"

Holland took a moment before replying. Healy had a point. He was the last person who needed a confidence boost. He already knew he was the best. "Yeah, you're right. You're right."

As Healy got out of the car, Holland called, "You got this!"

"Thanks." He shut the car door and let out a sigh. He knew Holland was a dad, but sometimes, the man just took his job way too far.

Healy tried to look through the fog ahead of him to find the bench and a person attached to it. As he got closer, the fog began to clear and he saw the figure of a woman sitting at the far end of the bench. It wasn't just any woman, either.

"June?"

June turned her head and looked at her ex-husband with a weak smile. "Hi, Jack."

"What are you doing here?"

"You should know. You got my note."

Jack almost stumbled upon hearing this but managed to stay on his feet. " _Your_ note?"

June nodded in reply. She pat the empty seat next to her, indicating that he should sit. Ah, fuck it. He'd made it this far. And it wouldn't hurt just to hear what she had to say.

As Healy sat beside her, he sighed, "Do you mind telling me what's going on?"

June looked ahead through the dense fog, waiting for the right words to come. Wringing her hands together, she stated, "There's no case."

"What?"

"There's no Lexie Rogers or Tom Clancy. I made them up. The picture I gave you was just...some model from a magazine I cut out."

"You...made up the case?"

June nodded, biting her lip.

Healy looked away and placed his hand over his face. Of course she made up the damn case. It was just like her to do it too. "And you did this why, exactly?"

"It was the only way I could reach out to you without you turning me away."

"Reach out for what?"

June looked over at Jack with the same broken smile. Her eyes seemed to be sparkling underneath the streetlight. Or maybe they were tearing up. She gently placed her hand over her stomach. "This."

Healy quickly looked over at her then turned his head back just as fast. The thing growing inside of his ex-wife was the last thing he wanted to talk about.

June let out a sigh, "I really do need your help, Jack. It's just not with a missing person. See...your dad got shipped out to Bali two months ago. He's been there ever since and he has no idea when he's coming back. And we know for a fact that he's not going to be here when the baby's born."

Healy almost scoffed. That sounded like his old man, alright. Still, he had to ask. "How far along are you?"

"The whole nine months."

"Shit," he sighed. She could pop any day now.

"Yeah. Shit's right." June looked down at her lap, hesitating. She continued, "Jack, I've been on my own for two months. I don't have any friends. The only other people I see are your dad's friends and that's only when I go out with him. Other than that, I don't...have anyone. There's no one who can help me when the baby comes."

Healy heard June's voice begin to crack as she said the last sentence. The sparkle he thought he saw in her eyes turned out to be tears after all. They fell down her face in a gentle stream as she took a deep breath. She eventually choked out, "And I don't want to do this alone."

Healy almost couldn't believe it, but he was actually feeling sorry for her. These weren't the waterworks she'd put on back at the house the other day. These were the real thing. He felt like he had to say something, but he couldn't get the words out. Instead, he found himself reaching out to her and placing his hand on top of hers.

June looked down at the action then over at Healy in shock. She hadn't felt that kind of tenderness in months. She'd missed it. Composing herself, she wiped at her eyes then stated, "I guess what I'm trying to say is...would I be able to stay with you? Just until the baby comes."

Healy thought this over to himself. A part of him was asking why he was even considering it. She'd hurt him. Everything that had happened over the past few years had been caused by her screwing around. She deserved everything that had come to her. But he was better than that. If Healy had learned anything over the past year, it was that he was so much better than that. And it would only be for a few weeks. What did he have to lose?

Taking a deep breath, he started, "I-"

"And I know what you're thinking: I've been nothing but a bitch to you. You're definitely right on that. But look at it this way: If you do this, you'll never see me again. Promise."

Healy couldn't help but chuckle at this. June was never afraid to call herself out on her shit. He had to give her that.

Cracking a smile, he replied, "I was actually going to say, 'I'll pick you up tomorrow morning.'"

June made a real smile at the man sitting next to her. She really had been ready to take a hike back to her house with the knowledge that she was all alone in her battle. It seemed the world was full of surprises for her that night.

June threw herself onto Healy in a hug and cried, "Oh my god, thank you! Thank you, Jack. Really. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Oh, I think I do," he chuckled.

As Healy stood up, he let the reality of the situation settle in. "I can't believe I'm getting another brother."

"Hey. Or a sister."

"If that kid really is my dad's, forget it. All he makes is boys."

"Oh, come on. You don't know that."

"Well, do you know what it is?"

"Huh?"

"The baby. Isn't there a way that you can...you know, figure out if it's a boy or a girl?"

"Oh, you mean an ultrasound. Yeah, I...I didn't get one. I want it to be a surprise."

She didn't have the heart to tell him that she didn't have the money for one. He didn't need to know that.

Healy nodded to himself with a shrug. It could be a girl, for all he knew. But he wasn't getting his hopes up.

Realizing June was still sitting, he began to help her to her feet.

"Thanks," she said.

"Of course."

"For everything, I mean. Really, you're a lifesaver."

"Oh. Yeah, right. Well, I help people now for a living, so I'm just doing my job."

June chuckled at this and asked, "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. Are you guys still at the same place?"

"Yup. Haven't moved at all."

"Alright. I'll be there."

With a small wave, June walked off in the other direction.

Healy watched her go with a small smile that soon turned into a face of panic. What the fuck had he just done? He just said yes to letting his ex-wife stay with him without even consulting Holland.

Oh shit. Holland. He was going to be pissed. Well, he'd just have to get over it. After all, it was Healy's house too.

He walked back to the car and sat himself in the passenger seat with the same stunned look on his face.

Holland waited in silence for his friend to say something, anything. The anticipation grew to be too much for him, and he cried, "Well?!"

Healy jerked his head over to Holland and looked him straight in the eye. "You're not going to believe this."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Domicile, /dom-uh-sahyl/, noun: a place of residence; abode; house or home

"No, no, absolutely not. She's not staying here, Healy." Holland paced back and forth in front of the kitchen bar, sighing as he pressed his hand to his forehead.

Healy stood across from him with his arms folded over his chest and a frustrated expression on his face. He'd broken the news about June's arrival to his friend, and Holland wasn't pleased in the slightest. Still, he wasn't going down without a fight.

"We don't really have a choice in it at this point, March."

"First of all, there's no _we_ in this. This is all on _you_. Second, you _do_ have a choice. You can call her tomorrow and say, 'Hey, June. Bad news: We got infested with termites overnight, so you have to find somewhere else to go. Have a good life.' See? Easy."

"I don't think there are any termites around here," Holland's daughter, Holly, spoke up. The thirteen-year-old sat on a seat at the bar, twirling the straw in her lemonade. She'd been busy hanging out with her friends all day, so she wasn't up-to-date on the June situation. But whatever was happening with it sounded much better than hearing Cindy ramble on about her latest summer fling for four hours.

Holland faced his daughter and replied, "Sweetheart, I never said it had to be an _accurate_ lie. A lie's only as good as its audience. How do you think we've avoided having Grandma stay with us for the past five years?"

"Well, you shouldn't be lying to her in the first place! She trusts you guys! What's going to happen if you turn her away? She'll tell everyone that the Nice Guys aren't so nice after all and where will you be then? You'll have no clients, no work, and no money."

Holland stopped pacing and shook his head in annoyance. Why did Holly have to be so goddamn smart? It had to be from all the books she kept in her room. Or the fact that she was a girl. Either one.

Healy chimed in, "She has a point."

"I know she does!" Holland spat with a sigh.

Smirking, Holly leaned back in her chair and added, "Besides, there's no getting out of it. You already took her money."

Holland's reply was banging his fist against the bar with a grunt. He just had to have a "pay up front" policy, didn't he? There was also the fact that he liked getting money in general, but so did every other sucker in the world. Who wouldn't refuse $400? Certainly not him.

Holland looked over at Healy and could see the sincerity on his face. He didn't flash that look for just anybody. That was a look you had to earn. It could only mean that he was serious about helping June. "You really want to do this, don't you?"

"It wouldn't be that long. She's due any day now anyway."

Yeah, like that was going to help his case. All that meant was that they'd have to take her the hospital and deal with all of that shit as well. It only made the idea of it even worse.

A thought suddenly popped into Holland's head. One that would surely make Healy change his mind. "Where is she going to sleep? Your room was the only spare room we had."

"She can take my room. I'll just move to the couch."

Well, no way was that happening. If there was one rule in the March household, it was that no one would have to be forced to sleep on the couch. You got a bed whether you liked it or not. And Holland wasn't going to force Healy to sink so low.

"Absolutely not. I'm not kicking you out of your room."

"It wouldn't be kicking me out. I'd be moving out. There's a difference."

"A difference that will ruin your back for the next two years if you do it."

"So, what? You're going to force the pregnant woman to sleep on the couch?"

"God no!" Jesus, did Healy have that little faith in him? Holland could be a gentleman when he wanted to be. Although, it was becoming more difficult as Healy argued with him.

"Then what, March?"

"I don't know! Can you stop fucking pressuring me with this?!"

"She can have my room," Holly said. "It's no big deal."

"No!" the men chorused.

Healy explained, "I wouldn't want to make you do that, Holly."

"Besides, you don't need that woman contaminating your room," Holland added.

Holly replied, "It's really no big deal."

To be fair, she wasn't completely on board with the idea. When they had first explained that June had wedged herself into their lives, she wasn't pleased in the slightest. She knew all about June and everything that had happened between her and Healy. The stories made Holly wish she could give the bitch a piece of her mind. And with the prospect of her staying with them, it seemed like that wish was about to come true. But her good nature overpowered her, causing her to be on Healy's side in the argument. She was typically on his side in any situation, but this was a special occasion.

Healy said, "Holly, I mean it. I don't mind giving up my room. This is my situation, and you don't need to get involved in it."

"You're damn right it's your situation," Holland muttered as he grabbed a can of beer and opened it.

Healy faced his friend and declared, "So, that answers your question. Now, what's it going to be?"

Holland felt the pressure of Healy's eyes sear into him from afar. He'd been in this situation before, and he didn't like it one bit.

He glanced over at Holly and saw that she had the same judging look that his friend had. The two were like a fucking tag team; They were strong enough on their own, but put them together and you didn't stand a chance. This moment was no exception, and Holland realized that he was definitely losing this round.

He bent his head down and let out a large sigh, "You can pick her up at 10."

Holly quietly cheered, "Yes!" then made a small spin in her chair.

Healy began to smile and placed his hand on Holland's shoulder. "I owe you a huge one, March."

"You're damn right you do," he replied as Healy went off to prepare the room for their guest.

Holland briefly stared at the beer he was holding then took a large swig of it. He made a mental note to buy more once June arrived the next day.

~

"I really appreciate you doing all of this for me, Jack." June sat in the passenger seat of Healy's Camaro the next morning, looking out the window as they drove through the suburbs. "I honestly didn't think you were going to say yes."

"Well, that just goes to show how much you don't know about me."

Healy glanced over and saw June looking down with a tiny, sheepish smile. It almost seemed like a face of regret, but he had never been good at reading faces.

June eventually spoke up, "Your friend doesn't mind any of this, does he?"

"No, not at all. He's more than happy to let you stay."

Healy hoped to God that she couldn't see him break into a cold sweat once he said it. Luckily, even if she wanted to, she didn't have time to reply, as they had just pulled into the driveway of 1271 Stafford Drive.

Healy helped June out of her seat and took her suitcase for her, leading her to the door. As they stepped inside, he stated, "And here you are once again."

Holland and Holly stood behind the kitchen bar but stepped out once June arrived. The former, putting on his most friendly and welcoming smile, greeted, "Hey, June! Welcome back to Casa de March."

"I'm happy to _be_ back, Mr. March."

"Hey, you're a guest now. It's Holland."

"If you insist." As June shook his hand, she explained, "Listen, I am so sorry for the stuff I said to you the other day. If I had known this was all going to happen, I never would have made fun of you."

"Ah, no harm done. Believe me, I've heard much worse in my life than everything you said." Holland felt his smile begin to fade, but he kept it on for as long as he could. He instead displayed his annoyance through rapid blinking, but June never caught on to it.

He then remembered Holly at his side and stated, "Oh, and this is my daughter, Holly. Holly, this is June Healy."

"Hi," Holly quietly greeted as she shook June's hand. She gave the woman a small smile but nothing more than that. She was mentally going over her plan for how she would confront her, and she couldn't let herself be exposed so soon.

June replied, "Nice to meet you, Holly. It's good to know I won't be the only girl around here."

She made a small giggle at the remark, causing Holly to politely chuckle back. She suddenly wished she had taken her dad's side in the argument.

June began walking through the house and asked, "So, which one of these is my room?"

"That would be Healy's, which is all the way on the left down there."

June turned to Healy upon hearing this and raised an eyebrow. "I'm staying in your room?"

"Yeah. It's the best we could do. Don't worry, I won't...be in there with you, if that's what you're worried about. I moved myself to the living room, so you have the room to yourself."

"Oh, no! No, I don't want to have to kick you out. I'll sleep on the couch, really."

God dammit. Holland thought they were done with this discussion. But June just had to bring it up, didn't she? Well, if she was going to be a fighter, he could be one too. "No, no, we already decided. You're getting the nice room, and you're sleeping on a bed."

"But if it means kicking Jack out, I don't want to impose."

"He was the one who suggested it in the first place. It's your room now."

"No, I can't accept that. I'll manage on the couch, really."

"No, you are staying in a room with a bed. I have to insist."

"Well, I have to decline-"

"JUST GO TO THE ROOM," Holland yelled, though his voice made it come out like a shriek.

The household stared at him with wide eyes, frozen in their place. Holland let himself calm down, taking several sharp breaths and forcing his mouth to creep back into a smile. He wouldn't have blown up if the bitch hadn't kept fighting him. It would have been avoided entirely if she hadn't shown up in the first place. But she was standing in front of him now, and he was just going to have to get used to it.

Calming down, Holland added, "Please." His voice had cracked when he said it, so he wasn't entirely calm. Luckily, no one mentioned it. Thank God. Holland didn't want to hear about it all morning.

June was the first one among the others to finally speak. She made a small nod and cleared her throat, "Of course. Absolutely. Thank you for the room. Jack, can you help me bring my bag in?"

"Sure, sure."

The two Healys then walked to June's new room, avoiding eye contact with Holland at all costs.

Once alone, Holland rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked over at Holly across from him. There was only one thing he wanted then, but he knew it wouldn't happen without her approval. "Can I have a beer?"

"Yes."

"Thank you." Holland breezed past his daughter and stomped his way into the kitchen.

Holly moved her gaze from her father to the doorway of June's room, letting her arms cross over her chest as she made a small sigh. If the past two minutes had proved anything to her, it was that her world was once again going to be rocked by a Healy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity, /am-i-tee/, noun: friendship; peaceful harmony

The moment June set down her bag in her new room, the Marches fled the scene. Healy left to go work on their case, and Holly went to go hang out with her friends for the fourth time that week. That left Holland to be the one stuck with June for the day. Perfect. Fucking perfect.

Holland tried to carry on that afternoon like he would any other day: Roam aimlessly throughout the house until he found something to do. But it was hard to do that when he saw June in every damn corner he went.

She would just be sitting there, smiling at him with a wave. Holland waved back, of course, but he would find himself staring at her every time before he did it. He'd do it for a couple seconds, like he was waiting for her to get it over with and murder him already. Then, he'd snap back and move on.

Holland didn't know why he was so fascinated with her. Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't had a woman living with him for two years. Maybe it was the way she exuded the color yellow with her hair and dress, making it so he had no choice but to look at her. Maybe it was the fact that she was Healy's ex-wife who was fucking his dad and was now staying under the same roof as him. He didn't fucking know.

By the time 1 o'clock came around, Holland decided to have another beer. He knew it probably wasn't wise, what with June being around. But it was past noon and his daughter wasn't home to yell at him for it. What could be a better reason for one than that?

Holland made his way to the kitchen and found his head drifting towards the living room. Sure enough, there she was, staring at his record collection. Holland stood still and watched, waiting for her usual beauty pageant wave, but it never came. She was way too focused on the records to even notice he was there. Fuck it, he didn't need to wait for her.

Holland shook his head then walked over to the refrigerator. He opened it to find one fresh bottle waiting for him on the door, filled to the brim with liquid gold. He plucked it from the shelf then slammed the refrigerator shut with a smile.

Holland walked over to the bar and opened the bottle in a snap. "Bottoms up," he whispered. He placed one hand on the bar then lifted the bottle to his lips with another, waiting for the first drop to hit.

Before it could, June's voice rang out, "Hey, Holland!"

The noise startled him, and his hand shook from the surprise. Instead of his mouth, the beer landed directly onto his shirt and even a little on the bar.

Holland slammed the bottle down and closed his eyes, trying to count to ten. He only made it four. Trying his best not to lose his cool, he called with an edge, "Yeah?"

"This might be a bit of a stretch, but would you happen to have any classical music? I've been reading all these parenting books lately that say having the baby listen to classical music will make them smarter somehow. I don't how true it is, but I just thought I'd try it out. But all you seem to have here is Tom Jones and the Bee Gees. I mean, I'm not complaining. That's all fine, if that's what you're into. I'm just curious, is all."

Was this really happening? Was Rod Sterling going to come out to tell him that he'd just entered another fucking dimension? It would honestly be the better alternative than his current situation.

Holland didn't even bother to reply to her. All he cared about was his newly damp shirt. She was lucky it was brown. Very lucky.

June waited for an answer but eventually shook her head in the silence. She continued searching through the records until she came across one for _My Fair Lady._ She shrugged to herself. That would work.

As June walked over to the record player, she called, "I didn't take you for a _My Fair Lady_ kind of guy, Holland. To be honest, I'd say you're more _Guys and Dolls._ "

Shit. Not that one. Anything but that one.

Holland rushed into the living room and was ready to yell at her to put the record back. He opened his mouth just as he saw her pull it out of the sleeve but was cut off by her saying, "Oh, I haven't listened to this in years. I love _My Fair Lady_."

Holland couldn't help but soften up at this. She had found the one nerve no one could reach and struck it like a guitar string.

Cracking a smile, he replied, "You do?"

"Oh yeah. That Julie Andrews truly is something. Of course, Henry Higgins is an absolute dick."

"Yeah." Holland chuckled. "Yeah, he is." He sat down beside her as he explained, "My, uh, my wife loved it too. It was her favorite."

"Well, she had excellent taste."

June set the record onto a player and let the sound of the overture fill the air. Turning back to Holland, she stated, "I love musicals."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I always wanted to be an actress growing up. Of course, that never happened, and it couldn't even if I wanted it to, what with-" June gestured down to her stomach with a smirk.

Holland felt one forming on his face as well. Holy shit, was he chuckling? Had this woman actually made him laugh? He really was in the Twilight Zone.

June continued, "But you can't help but wonder what it's like. Especially when you grow up right on 42nd Street."

Holland raised an eyebrow at this remark. "You're from New York?"

"Born and raised. That's, uh, how I met Jack in the first place. I guess you could say we were childhood sweethearts."

Holland felt himself lean back in his seat. "No shit." Healy had never disclosed that little nugget to him before. He filed it away to bring it up later.

June nodded in reply with a small smile. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she did, as if she were reliving all those years in the Big Apple in that moment.

Just then, Julie Andrews' voice cranked out from the player, causing June to gasp. "Oh, this one's my favorite!" She straightened herself in her seat and began to sing the familiar tune.

_All I want is a room somewhere_

_Far away from the cold night air_

_With one enormous chair-_

At the same time Julie uttered her iconic "Ow," June made the same noise, clutching her stomach. She shut off the player then looked down at herself and groaned, "Alright, I get it. You don't like Mommy's singing. You don't have to keep reminding me."

Just like that, Holland was staring at her again. But it wasn't out of feeling threatened like before. It was out of admiration.

As he watched her rub her stomach, he suddenly had an idea. "Hey. I don't think you want to be cooped up here all day, and I certainly wouldn't want to do that to you. How about I take you out to lunch?"

June's smile faded, and she leaned back with a raised eyebrow. God dammit, March. You ruined it. You dumbass.

"I mean, not, not like a date. I know you're with...and you got...I don't like you like that. Shit. I just...want to be nice, is all."

June began to soften up, and her smile returned. "Well, in that case, I'd love to."

"Great! I'll just get my keys, and we'll be on our way."

Holland stood up and began to walk out when he heard June clear her throat. He looked back and found her still sitting, an awkward wince on her face.

"I need help," she said as she held out her arm.

"Oh, shit. Right. Sorry."

Holland then rushed over and began helping her back to her feet.

~

Holland and June sat in a booth at a diner in town, laughing over something the former had said.

"He did not!" June cried, twirling her fork through her salad.

Holland took a swig of his unspilled beer and replied, "Oh, he did. He stormed right into my house and broke my arm like it was nothing."

"Well, no wonder! You're a twig!"

June regretted it the moment she said it. God. Had she learned nothing that afternoon?

Holland's face took on a more serious expression as he remarked, "Hey, what'd I say?"

"We don't bring up the twig thing. Sorry. I totally forgot."

"Eh, it's fine. You get a free pass on that one."

June chuckled to herself and felt her smile return. "You know, you are so funny."

"And you are totally not..."

Don't say it, March. Don't say another word.

Holland forced himself to stop once he saw June's face fall. "What?" she asked.

He sat back and cleared his throat. "Nothing. Just...forget I said anything. I'm really funny. W-We'll leave it at that."

June knew. He tried to deny it, but she knew. She could see it in his eyes. If she'd learned anything over the years, it was that a man's eyes were very telling. "I'm not a bitch?"

Shit. She got him.

"Yeah," Holland sighed.

June did the same. "Yeah, I figured Jack said that. But hey, don't worry about it. You get a free pass on that one." Her laugh returned, and she took a quick bite of her salad.

Holland couldn't help but be impressed by the comeback. "Oooooo, well played."

"I'm a fast learner."

"I can see that. I'll have to be more careful around you."

June watched him drink from across the way and began to tense up. She couldn't hold it back any longer. She had to ask. "Speaking of learning...Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You're a parent, right?"

"I like to think I am, yeah."

"Would you...be able to give me some advice? One parent to another?"

Holland shook his head in disbelief, causing him to blink at a rapid pace.

June made a quiet sigh as he did this. She was afraid of that. "I mean, I don't need help with the _actual_ parenting stuff. I've practically studied all those books for the past nine months, so I know all of that like the back of my hand. But you've been doing this longer than I have and I've just been wondering...Tell me the most important thing. The stuff that the books _don't_ tell you. That's really what I need to know if I'm going to do this right."

Holland continued blinking, overwhelmed by the question. This wasn't a topic he thought about on a daily basis.

Getting his bearings, he shook his head and stammered, "Um...Uh, let's see...There's, uh..."

Holland saw June's face looking at him, waiting in anticipation for his wisdom. He nodded to himself while he hoped an answer would come. What had Holly taught him over the years?

Holly. His beautiful daughter. His brilliant, funny, courageous daughter, surprising him at every moment she could with how amazing she was.

There. That was it.

Cracking a smile, Holland explained, "Well, I guess I'd say that the biggest thing is...kids always surprise you. No matter what. You think you know them, but when you least expect it, they turn your expectations right on your head. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not. It's mainly the good way though, so don't worry. You also have to watch out for their emotions. This starts coming into play when they're like...eleven. That's when they'll start being really angry all the time, and it gets annoying pretty fast. They'll say things like they hate you or they wish you were dead, shit like that. But you can't let it get to you because it's not true. They say all that, but they don't mean one bit of it. They're just saying it because that's how they're feeling at the moment. It'll pass.

"In reality, they love you. They're always going to love you. You might doubt it, but you can't. Because deep down, they do. They just don't want to say it. And you can't stop loving them either. Never. They need you. They need you more than anyone else in the world. You have to be there for them no matter what or else they really _will_ mean all that. And that's the worst feeling in the world."

June was enraptured by every word that he said. She could tell that it all came from the heart and he truly meant it.

As she smiled, Holland asked, "Did that help?"

She made a small nod in reply. "Absolutely."

"Great, because I don't think I could have said it again. I don't know where the hell all that came from."

June's signature chuckle returned, and she took a quick sip of her water. Once she finished, she said, "Your daughter seems sweet."

"Holly? Oh, she's the best. You'll love her."

"Well, I can't wait to see her later."

Holland nodded to himself, letting the words sink in. The lightbulb in his head was flickering for a moment, but it soon started shining as bright as it could. "Why see her later when you can have the whole day tomorrow?"

"What?"

"Healy and I are working on a big case right now, and we have some investigating we need to do tomorrow. Since it'll just be Holly around the house, why don't you spend time with her?"

"Me? Oh, I don't know. She probably won't want to spend an entire _day_ with me."

"Sure she will! She's going to love you so much, she won't want you to leave."

"Do you think so?"

"Trust me. I know my kid."

"Well..."

June bit her lip as she turned her head aside. It would be her first real experience with parenting. Did she really want to try it so soon? Her hand drifted over to her stomach and she realized how stupid she sounded. So soon? She was going to pop with her own kid any day now. It was the perfect time to start. Besides, June was ready to hang out with another girl for once. Holland was fun, but she was ready to take a small break.

June turned to him with an awkward smile and shrugged, "What the hell."

"Yes!" Holland raised his beer and declared, "To our kids."

"To our kids."

June raised her water with a smile and let it clink against his bottle. It was one day. What could possibly go wrong in a day?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enmity, /en-mi-tee/, noun: a feeling or condition of hostility; hatred; ill will; animosity; antagonism

The next day, Holly sifted through the pile of junk that sat in the corner of her closet. Tossing aside clothes she never wore and things she never used, she muttered, "Come on. They have to be in here _somewhere_."

After what had felt like forever, Holly sighed in relief as she pulled out exactly what she was looking for: A pair of yellow roller skates with a rainbow design etched across the heels. Sure, they looked a bit tacky and maybe the yellow had faded so they looked almost tan, but they were enough for her. No matter what Janet and her snobby friends said about them, Holly was still the fastest skater in their group. They could eat her dust, for all she cared. And today was going to be another day where they did just that.

Grabbing the skates by the laces, Holly slung them across her shoulders and ran out of her room. Making her way to the front door, she called, "Bye, Dad! Bye, Mr. Healy! I'm going skating!"

"Ah ah ah, Holly, wait!" her father called from the kitchen.

Holly stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to face him. There had been a sternness to his voice when he said it, which was all the more reason to be scared of what came next. Once Holly was fully around, she found her father and Healy walking towards her.

"Change of plans, sweetheart," Holland stated. "Healy and I have some work to do that'll probably take up the whole day. We would bring June with us, but that would require her to be on her feet all day, and we can't have that, now can we?"

Holly didn't like where this conversation was going. She was anticipating what came next, but she still needed to hear it for herself.

"So June's staying here, and because leaving a pregnant woman alone is a mistake I'm _not_ going to make again, you're going to keep her company."

Holly loosened the grip on her skates and allowed them to fall at her side. No. No way on Earth was he making her be alone with the she-devil. She was still young. She had so much more to live for.

Holly found herself crying out, "What?! B-But Dad, I already have plans!"

"Well, you'll have to move them to tomorrow. You can go one day without seeing your friends."

"But they're waiting for me!"

"We'll let them know when we pass by."

"But...But..."

This couldn't be happening. She wasn't ready yet. Sure, Holly already had her big speech for June planned out, but it still needed some work. It needed to have the full effect to let this woman know exactly who she was dealing with. At the moment, it just sounded like a minor threat said by an angsty teenager. What good would that do?

Holly tried to come up with a reasonable argument to prove that she shouldn't have to play babysitter. The best she could come up with was, "But it's _her_!"

"Hey, be nice. _Her_ name is June. Besides, we spent the afternoon together yesterday, and it actually wasn't terrible. As a matter of fact, she's pretty great."

Healy gave his friend a look of shocked disapproval, convinced that he must have been drunk for most of their time together.

Seeing his face, Holland replied, "What? She is!"

Of course. Healy. He could weasel Holly out of it. He was always on her side in these kinds of debates.

Turning to him, she begged, "Mr. Healy, tell him to let me go! You know how it is better than anyone!"

"Sorry, Holly. Your dad's right. As much as I hate to say it, we can't leave her alone, and you're all we have."

Holly tried her best to hold back a scoff, but it unfortunately came out. So much for his help.

Holland continued, "Holly, don't look at this so negatively. You might have fun with her!"

Oh, sure. Because being alone with Medusa incarnate all afternoon was every girl's dream come true.

Holland kissed the top of his daughter's head and stated, "I love you. Try to be nice, please."

"I will," she replied in a begrudging tone.

As the two men walked out the door, Healy turned back and shrugged in her direction, as if to say, "I wish I could help, but what can you do?"

Without another word, Holly shut the door tight and let out a sigh. There was no backing out of it now.

Kicking her skates to the side, Holly walked over to the kitchen bar and placed herself on a seat. The moment she sat, a voice greeted, "Hey, sweetie!"

Holly's head perked up, and she found herself face to face with June, who was walking towards her from her bedroom.

This was it. The day had finally arrived. Better say something tough back so June would know that she meant business.

"Hi."

"I'm guessing the boys left already."

"Yeah, you just missed them."

"Ah. Well, that means it's just us girls now!"

Holly gave a polite smile back with a nod. There you go. Ease her in slowly. Earn her trust.

As June picked herself up onto the seat beside her, she explained, "Your dad was telling me _all_ about you yesterday. He says you're pretty smart."

Holly shrugged. "I guess so."

"He was telling me that you're always reading. I wish I did more of that at your age."

Holly's hands fidgeted in her lap as she stared at this intruder in her home. The silence between them was painfully discomforting, and it only made her grow more tense.

June began scanning around the area, trying to think of something to say. Seeing Holly's roller skates, she gasped, "Those roller skates are adorable! Are they yours? You know, I used to skate too. I was probably a little younger than you are, but my friends and I would just strap them on and fly through the neighborhood together on days just like this."

Holly felt the pressure within her begin to boil. Any moment now, she would burst, and June would waltz right out the door.

Her guest continued, "Do you do that with your friends? Your dad tells me you have a lot of friends. He says that you guys always seem to be together. He brought up this one time where you-"

Enough was enough. Time to settle the score once and for all.

Holly slammed her hand against the bar and looked June in the eye. "Look, I don't know what you think you know about me, but I know plenty more about you," she growled. "Mr. Healy told me all about you and what you did to him. And let me tell you, I don't like it at all. Mr. Healy is one of my best friends, and when people hurt my best friends, they'll have to deal with _me_. So don't even _think_ about trying anything with me today because I won't have it. You're in _our_ house, and trust me when I say that none of your...your _tricks_ are going to work here. Got it?"

June held her breath as Holly ranted to her, letting her words soak in. Holland did warn her about his daughter being a bit of a spitfire, but she hadn't expected it to be revealed so soon, let alone aimed at her. Of course, she was only fueled through what Jack had told her. How much of the truth had he bent for her too?

June could sense the hostility coming from Holly and turned away. It wasn't much of a surprise to her. She was all too familiar with the realization of someone she thought she trusted actually wanting to push them away from good. She'd had it once before. She didn't understand it then, but she understood it now. She knew her place.

Looking down at her lap, June nodded and sighed, "Okay. I see that we...started off on the wrong foot. But you know what? That's okay. Whatever Jack told you, I probably deserve it. I didn't treat him the way I should have."

Holly couldn't help but scoff at her words. From what she'd heard, June had done a lot more than just mistreat him.

She continued, "But I'm trying to fix that. I really am. I've done some...really _stupid_ things that hurt a lot of people. And I think about it constantly."

A small hiccup came out of June's mouth as her eyes began to tear up. She grabbed a napkin and made a gentle dab at them before the waterworks started. Damn baby hormones. They always acted up when she never wanted them to.

Holly kept a stone cold glare upon June, her arms in a firm cross over her chest. She wasn't buying the "Woe is me" act. Not one bit. No matter how much her gentle heart wanted to give in, she knew she had to stand her ground.

As June's attempts to stop her tears ultimately failed, she choked out, "It just...It just _sucks_ , you know? Having to be reminded of how much you fucked up _every single day_." Realizing her colorful slip, June made a quiet gasp. "Oh, shit, sorry."

Holly brushed it aside. For Christ's sake, she was thirteen, not seven. When would people learn that it was okay to curse around her? God.

As her tears began to stop, June continued, "Shit, there was a point to this. Oh, right. Look, you have every right to be at mad at me. I would be too if I were you. But I guess what I'm trying to say is...just give me a chance, okay? Just for today. Tomorrow, you can go right back to hating me if you want."

Holly had to hand it to her. At least the bitch was humble. And she did bring up a nice offer. Ah, screw it. Just play it by ear and see how the day goes.

"Fine," she sighed. "You got me."

A small smile began to form on June's face at Holly's answer. "Thank you."

She pushed herself off the chair and began walking into the kitchen, calling, "Are you hungry? I can make you lunch if you want."

The moment she said it, Holly felt her stomach begin to growl and placed her hand over it. She'd been so focused on seeing her friends and threatening her guest that she'd forgotten to figure out what she was doing for lunch. Better late than never, she supposed. "Uh, yeah, I guess I'm a little hungry. But you don't have to do anything! Really, I can make it."

Holly got up from her chair and rushed into the kitchen. What kind of monster would she be if she made the pregnant woman do all the work for her? Rushing to June's side, she added, "I do it all the time. I'm used to it."

"Holly, no. Let me do it. It'll be my treat."

June began to open up several cabinets and rifled through them for food. Holly would have said more, but there was no use fighting back now that she was raiding their food supply.

June moved along the wall to each cabinet but discovered that the Marches were practically living off of breadcrumbs. God, did Holland _ever_ go food shopping?

As she reached the end of the kitchen, she remarked, "Hmmm, you guys aren't giving me much to work with. What do you usually make for yourself?"

"Buttered toast and corned beef."

"What?!"

From this description, June made two assumptions: Either the Marches were more down on their luck than she realized or Holland was cheap as shit. Both seemed like reasonable answers.

Slamming a cabinet shut, she stated, "No, no, no, no, no. I am _not_ making you eat table scraps for lunch. Today, you're going to get a taste of some real food. And I know exactly what to make you too."

Well, this should be good. Holly leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest, ready to see whatever this woman had up her sleeve.

June went to the cabinet closest to the fridge and opened it to find exactly what she was looking for. "Aha! I knew I saw hamburger buns in here."

Hamburger buns? She'd made it sound like she was going to whip up a five-star meal for Holly. If she was just making a measly hamburger, Holly could have gone to one of her friend's houses and had one there. Of course, that had been the original plan, but the chances of that happening now were long gone.

June reached up for the buns but found herself weighed down by the baby. Damn that kid she was going to love and adore once it finally popped out. It was always preventing her from doing simple tasks. No one had ever told her how much of a nuisance pregnancy was going to be on everyday life.

She continued to stretch her arm for them as much as she could, but they always remained out of reach.

Holly watched the struggle from her place and couldn't help but feel sorry for June. From where she stood, it actually looked pretty pathetic. And what was she doing in just letting it happen? Holy shit, maybe _she_ was being the bitch in this situation. Holly March was a lot of things. But if there was one thing she wasn't, it was a bitch. And she couldn't let this moment taint her record.

Holly rushed over to June's side and stated, "Here, I'll get them." She pushed off against the countertop and managed to grab the bag of buns with one hand. Placing them between herself and June, she flashed her companion her signature Holly smile. It was the type of face that said, "I truly am a nice person. Teenage hormones just get in the way of that sometimes."

June sighed in relief as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. "Thanks. It means a lot."

"Just trying to help."

Yeah, she was a good kid. June had no doubt about that.

As she opened up the bag, she asked Holly, "You ever have a pizza burger?"

Holly's mouth began to morph into a slanted position, making her shake her head as she said in an almost guilty tone, "No."

"Well, you're about to."

June took out two sets of buns from the bag then made her way over to the refrigerator. Pushing away the dozens of beer and scotch bottles she found inside once she opened it, she tried her best to find the ingredients she was looking for. While this went on, she decided to tell Holly a story about the special dish.

"See, when I was a little younger than you, there was this pizza place a couple blocks down from where I walked home from school. I was real friendly with the owner of the place because I stopped in there for a slice every Friday. His name was Tony, which is pretty much the name of every Italian guy in New York. The fact that he had a _really_ thick accent didn't help."

June pulled out two hamburgers and several slices of cheese from the fridge and continued searching for more ingredients. After a moment, she turned towards Holly and asked, "You wouldn't by any chance have marinara sauce, would you?"

"Now you're _really_ asking a lot from us."

"I thought so. We'll make do with ketchup."

June found a bottle of ketchup on the fridge door then brought it over to the rest of the ingredients. She saw a frying pan already on the stove and began to fry up the gas from underneath. As she waited for it to simmer, she remembered that she had been telling a story and went on with it.

"Anyway, there was one day where I stopped in, and Tony's telling me that business hasn't been too hot lately. He's freaking out that they might have to close up shop, but I never did find out how badly they were really doing, so he could have been exaggerating for all I know and was just having a bad week. But me being a little kid, no more Tony's was the end of the world. So I try thinking of anything that can help him, and my ten-year-old brain gets the best idea in the world. I say, 'Well, everybody likes pizza. And everybody likes burgers. What if you combined the two and made a pizza burger?' And Tony goes-"

June suddenly took on the persona of a true Italian New Yorker as she imitated him, which couldn't help but make Holly laugh.

"'Ya crazy? I'm a pizza guy! I don't make boigers! If they see me makin' boigers, they'll toss me out with the rest of the trash! What the hell are ya thinkin', kid?' So I go, 'Well, you could at least try it and see what happens.' And Tony says, 'Alright, alright. I'll do it for ya, kid. But ya need to get the boigers for me 'cause I don't got 'em.'"

Once the pan had simmered enough, June placed two burgers inside of it and let them simmer for a few minutes before flipping them.

"So I rush home, and I manage to find a ton of patties in our kitchen. I practically hit the jackpot in finding those suckers. I bring them over to Tony's, and I find him already hard at work at making the sauce and the cheese. So we start frying the burgers as fast as we can before the dinner crowd shows up. That day was pretty much the first job I ever had, and it felt like I was working in hard labor. I tell ya, I never sweat so much in the span of two hours as much as I did then."

June took a quick glance at the burgers and found that they looked like they were cooked a decent amount through. She then squirted some ketchup on top of the patties, placed several slices of cheese over it, and squirted some more ketchup. She watched the cheese and the ketchup melt perfectly with one another, eventually meshing with the hamburger meat as well.

"But we got those burgers done and served them just as people started flooding in at 4:30. And everyone ate. Them. Up. Literally, devoured them whole. They loved it! Everyone kept saying, 'Hey, Tony, how come you never done this before, huh? You got a real winner with this one!' Tony generated so much business from my little idea that it became the top-selling item in his little parlor. Even more than the pizza! And every Friday, I'd skip on over there from school and order the same thing each time: The June Pizza Burger."

Holly's eyes had become so wide as she stared at June that they were on the brink of popping out of her head. Part of it was from how fascinating her story had been, but it was mainly from how she managed to cook everything so damn fast and get it to look like actual food.

Once they were done, June took the patties out of the pan and slipped them into the buns, creating two genuine pizza burgers. She offered one before Holly's stunned face, declaring, "Eat up, kid."

Holly's eyes darted from the burger to June then back to the burger. She would have eaten it right then and there. She wanted to eat it too. But she was still trying to process how she was somehow standing before the next Julia Child.

"Go on!" June cried. "I want to know what you think."

Well shit, she was depending on her now. She couldn't disappoint her by not eating it.

Breaking out of her daze, Holly slowly picked up the burger and took a large bite into it. It took a few seconds for the taste to register, but once it did, she almost thought she would drop to the floor. It was one of the best things she'd ever eaten. Where the hell had this been all her life? Holly was ready to go on a strict pizza burger diet for the rest of her life, it was so good.

Seeing June's eager face before her, she tried to say something, anything that could truly capture her love for the meal. But all she could get out was, "Oh my god."

"Uh huh."

"This is amazing!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! This...This is better than...a-actual pizza!"

June chuckled, "Yeah, that's what they all say the first time around."

"I love it! Thank you, really. I..."

Holly looked up at June and remembered all the shitty things she'd said to her earlier. God, did she regret that. Her big mouth just had to ruin everything for her, didn't it? How could she have ever thought that this amazing, talented woman was a bitch? In Holly's mind, she was anything _but_ a bitch.

As she stared into June's kind eyes, she heaved a large sigh and realized what had to be done. "I'm sorry for...before. When I freaked out on you. That was really rude of me."

June waved her hand and let out a small scoff at the girl. "Trust me, I've heard much worse than what you threw at me. Besides, I completely get it. It's like you said: Jack's your friend. You were just looking out for him. I would have done the same thing."

There was something in June's tone that Holly couldn't quite pick up on. Was it sadness? Guilt? Regret? She couldn't really tell. But there was definitely something that seemed off. She knew that much.

A smirk began to appear on June's face as she bit her lip and asked, "So does this mean you're cool with me hanging around today?"

Holly tried to make it look like she was studying her guest's face, thinking over all of her options. In reality, she had already come up with her answer. Flashing a smirk of her own, she declared, "Absolutely."

"Yes! Oh, this is going to be great."

June hadn't been so excited about hanging out with another girl in years. She'd been spending so much time hanging around with men that she'd forgotten what it was like to be around other girls. Now that she was with Holly, June was finally being given a change of scene, and she didn't want to waste one bit of it. In fact, she was just getting started.

Giving Holly an eager smile, June asked, "So what do you like to do around here?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sodality, /soh-dal-i-tee/, noun: fellowship, comradeship

Healy and Holland walked through town that afternoon with a look on each of their faces that said they meant business. Healy's was more of a "You don't want to fuck with me" kind of face while Holland's was a look of "Trust me, I'm a professional." They were men on a mission, after all. They had to look the part.

While they walked, Healy suddenly began to crack a smile. He turned to his partner and asked, "How much do you think Holly hates us right now for leaving her with June?"

"I wouldn't get your hopes up on that. She's probably having a lot of fun with her. I sure did yesterday."

He had to be drunk. That was the only thing that made sense in Healy's mind. No sensible person would say that June Healy was fun. Well, his father might. But that was in a different context.

Healy looked over Holland and found him walking in a straight line rather than stumbling. Nope. He was sober for once.

The only thing he could respond with was, "You're kidding."

”Not at all. We went out to lunch, and we just...really _bonded_. And I learned so much about her! Like, did you know she's into Doris Day? I mean, she honestly seems like she would be. She has that kind of vibe to her, you know?"

This couldn't be happening. Healy's best friend had become chummy with his slut of an ex-wife. Maybe the doomsday predictors that stood on street corners shouting that "the end is nigh" were right after all.

Healy felt his hands form into fists the more Holland talked about her. Sure enough, he was still going.

"And did you know she crochets? I never would have suspected that from what you told me about her. She said she learned it in high school. I don't know, that's just really impressive to me because I just know I'd be fucking awful at it. She crocheted some stuff for the baby too like blankets and sweaters which I think is adorable. God, that kid's going to be lucky to have her around."

"March.” 

"Yeah?"

"We're here."

Holland stopped walking and looked up at where they were standing. A large sign over the awning of the storefront before them had a picture of Superman flying through the air with the words "Big City Comics" printed next to him.

"Huh," Holland remarked. "Quick walk."

Healy replied with a shrug as he walked inside the comic shop. 

Holland trailed behind and found himself scanning the tan walls covered inch by inch in shelves of comic books. What he wouldn't have given to be ten years old again in that moment.

He couldn't marvel at it for long because he spotted their person of interest standing at the register. He was the exact type of person that looked like they would work there; He was a little on the heavier side with an attempt at a curly brown beard growing on the end of his face along with thin black glasses pressed against the bridge of his nose.

As the two approached him at his register, the owner greeted, "Afternoon, fellas. Are you looking for anything specific?"

"You know, as a matter of fact, we are," Holland replied, taking on a friendly tone. But the nice guy act was dropped the moment it began.

Holland pulled out the picture of Ethan from his jacket then slumped his arms on the counter at the same time as Healy. Holding the picture so close to the cashier that it almost made contact with him, he explained, "We're looking for this kid. Ethan Warner. He's about eleven years old. Our sources tell us he frequents here on the weekends. Have you by any chance seen him within the last two weeks?"

The cashier mulled over the image for a moment, tapping his finger on the side of his chin. After a moment, he declared, "Oh yeah. I've seen him a few times. Good kid."

"Have you seen him recently?"

"Yeah, yeah. He comes in here a lot."

"When would you say was the last time you saw him here?" Healy chimed in.

The cashier shrugged. "Can't say. I don't really keep track of every time the same customer comes in here. You know, like a normal person would."

Jesus Christ. A difficult one. Their least favorite kind of person to interrogate.

Holland asked, "Well, when he _is_ here, is he alone or does he come with someone?"

"I think he's with someone. I don't think I ever see him by himself."

"Who is he with?" Healy asked as he grew antsy.

The cashier shrugged once again. "People."

Holland couldn't help but roll his eyes at the son of a bitch. If he kept it up, he was going to be dealing with Healy and his brass knuckles, and no one wanted to endure that. "Look, pal, we don't have all day," he said with an edge. "Just tell us what you know and we'll be on our way."

"Oh, so soon? You know, business has been real slow today. It'd be a shame if I had to close up today without a dollar to my name." The cashier leaned back and let a smirk appear on his face. That smug smirk was what did him in.

It caused Healy to slip on the brass ring and sock him square in the nose. The blow sent the cashier sliding to the floor against the wall, gripping his bruised nose as tightly as he could.

Healy walked around the counter and bent over him, firing a stone cold glare in his direction. Oh yeah. It was his time to shine.

"Listen, punk," he hissed in a low tone, "We don't have time to deal with your crap today. You got no one else in here that needs your help right now, so we're all you have. Now, if I were you, I'd give my customers exactly what they want since that's my _fucking job._ So why don't we talk it out for a little bit, get the answers we need, then move on like nothing happened. Does that sound good to you?” 

Holland couldn't help but scoff at his friend's threat. Turning away, he muttered, "Funny. That's not what you said to June."

Oh, he had to be fucking kidding. He didn't just pull that card on him, did he? That little shit.

Heaving a sigh, Healy stood up and faced Holland with a scowl, asking, "Really? Are we really doing this now?"

"Yes, really. You know, June may have told me a lot about herself yesterday, but she also told me quite a bit about you. Stuff that you never bothered to tell me whenever you talked about her."

"Like what?" Healy scoffed.

"Like how she didn't leave you when everything happened in the first place. You kicked her out."

Fuck. He got him. June had known exactly what to get him with too. Healy knew that he needed to keep up his innocence for a little longer. He still had some shred of dignity, after all.

He sighed for a moment then replied, "Are you really going to believe that?"

"Honestly, yes. Simply from the way you hesitated just now. You look guilty as shit right now, I hope you know that."

"Why are you suddenly on her side?!"

"Because she's actually really nice once you get to know her, but you keep trying to push her away so she looks like a bitch!"

"Hey, for the record, I've known her a lot longer than you do, March. Don't act like you're suddenly an expert on June and I because you're not. And she comes off looking like a bitch to you because she is one!"

"No, she isn't!"

"OKAY!"

Healy and Holland's argument was interrupted by the cashier fighting for his life on the floor. He began to sit up, still clutching at his nose, and held out his other hand in surrender.

"Okay," he cracked. "I'll talk, I'll talk. Just...stop, please."

Healy and Holland exchanged an embarrassed glance, remembering that they were on the job. They each took a deep breath and returned to their normal composures, staring down at the cashier with hardened glares.

Holland declared, "We're listening."

"So...So that Ethan kid, right? Yeah, I saw him. He comes here once a week. Good kid. He was kind of quiet. He never really talked to me unless he had a question about new shipments. A-Anyway, two weeks ago, he comes in and he's standing by...by one of the shelves. Somewhere in the back, fuck if I knew. While he's looking through one, this guy walks in. Kind of tall, got a big brown beard, and he's wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. Really dark sunglasses."

"What about the cap?" Healy asked. "What color was it?"

"It was, uh...red. It was red. I-In the front. The back was white. Same with the jersey he wore. That was white, but the team name was stitched in red."

The cashier then began to rub the bridge of his nose with a small groan. "Christ, that hurts," he muttered as he glared up at Healy.

Healy didn't bat an eye, however. Hurting was just how he wanted it. He could have done a lot worse to him. The guy should be lucky that he didn't.

As he wrote everything down in his small notepad, Holland interjected, "Do you remember the team name on the jersey?"

"Yeah. It's here somewhere." The cashier pointed to his forehead. "Give me a second. It was, uh...the Runaways! That was it."

Healy and Holland exchanged a confused glance. They'd never heard of any sports team called the Runaways. It was probably a local minor team. Those kinds always had weird names like the Friars or the Pilgrims or something stupid like that.

The cashier continued, "Anyway, this guy walks up to Ethan and talks to him like they've been best friends forever. Says his name is Lou...Lou Peters. Does that name ring a bell to you guys?"

"No, but this is good to know," Holland said as he wrote the name down as fast as he could.

Healy added, "You're helping us out a lot. So what happened with this guy and Ethan?"

"Right, right. So Lou walks up to the kid and tells him that he's creating a minor league baseball team for L.A. called the Runaways. He thinks Ethan has potential and wants him to join. The kid doesn't seem so sure about it because, you know, he's never met the guy. He wants to talk to his mom about it first. Lou seemed pretty okay with it, actually. He understood completely. So he gives the kid his card and tells him to call the number on it when he makes his decision. And just like that, the guy's gone. The kid left pretty soon after, and I haven't seen him since."

The cashier's eyes began to trail downwards, widening in a haze. "Come to think of it, Lou's been in here a few times before Ethan too. He's done the same thing to other kids, and I haven't seen any of them for some time either."

Well, shit. Healy and Holland exchanged shocked expressions with one another. It looked like they actually had a decent case on their hands for once. The days of scoping out cheating husbands and daughters on the run were temporarily behind them. Now they could really get their hands dirty.

The cashier began to look up at the two and asked in a quiet tone, "You don't think he did something to those kids, do you?"

"Hopefully, no," Healy replied. With the new information at hand, keeping up morale was the most important thing for him to do.

However, Holland was more of a realist in the situations where they didn't need it most. This led to his response being a small shrug and a simple, "We'll see."

Healy fired him a brief glare. The nerve of him.

Holland didn't notice his friend, instead folding up his notepad and tucking it into his pocket. He made his way towards the door, giving the cashier a brief wave as he called, "Thanks for the tip."

This was Healy's cue to follow behind him, putting on his sunglasses as he started walking. He glanced over and saw that the cashier was still lying on the ground, cradling his nose. "You, uh, might want to get that checked out," Healy stated as he was halfway out the door. "Sorry."

With a small wave, he walked out of the comic shop and joined Holland's side to see him lighting a cigarette. "So do you think we got a kidnapping scheme on our hands?" he asked his friend.

"Probably. But what I'm more worried about right now is your reluctance to accept that June is actually a decent human being."

Jesus Christ. This again. Healy wasn't entirely sure what "reluctance" meant, but he knew it only spelt trouble for him. "Alright, you know what? We're not talking about this right now. We'll talk at home."

"Fine."

"Fine."

And just like that, the name of June Healy didn't leave either of their mouths for the rest of the afternoon.

~

Holly and June sat across from each other at the kitchen bar, their hands outstretched before the other person. June, her nails newly painted a shade of rose pink, was busy painting a bright shade of red onto Holly's nails.

Smiles were present on both girls' faces during the process. They weren't the type of polite, "Yeah, this is fun, but I'd rather be somewhere else" smiles. They were genuine. They really were enjoying each other's company.

"This is nice," June spoke up after a long patch of silence.

Holly added, "Yeah, this is."

"Let me tell you, this is a really pretty color on you.” 

"Thanks. Yours is too."

"Looks like we both picked out good colors, didn't we?"

The two proceeded to giggle as June moved on to painting the right middle finger.

God, Holly had missed this. She'd done this type of stuff with her mom before the fire, and she'd avoided it ever since. She hadn't realized how much she'd been craving that kind of bond again.

After a moment, June sighed, "Oh, I can't wait to do this with my girl."

"Is that what you're having?"

"Oh, well, I don't really know for _sure_ , but that's what I'm hoping for. I mean, a boy would be fine too, but I guess I'm just biased.” 

"I get it. For the record, I hope you have a girl. Girls are so much more fun." Holly leaned in as she said the last sentence, her voice low and ending it with a wink.

June chuckled, "I couldn't agree more."

Both girls laughed at their comments then returned to their beauty session.

While she continued painting, June couldn't help but gaze at Holly in amazement. She was fascinated by how strong she seemed to be despite being so young. June couldn't remember ever being like that at her age. She knew that it only could have come from Holly having a great mom. Whoever she had been, she had done a fantastic job. Perhaps she might be able to help her too. After all, it was worth a shot.

Moving on to Holly's pinky, June asked, "What was your mom like?"

Holly looked up at her companion, her large blue eyes taken aback by the question.

Shit, June. The woman was dead, for Christ's sake. It was her _mother_. Have a little more respect for the fact.

"I'm sorry," she added. "That was so stupid of me to just...spring that on you like that."

"I-It's fine.” 

"No, it's not. I'm sorry, y-you don't have to answer that."

"Really, it's fine. In fact, I think I've kind of needed someone to talk to about her anyway."

Saying it out loud seemed to make it true. Holly didn't often talk about her mom to other people. Hell, she barely talked about her to Healy. But whenever she did, she couldn't help but feel like a small weight was being lifted off the others that were on her shoulders. Maybe one more time could do it again.

Avoiding eye contact, Holly started, "My mom...She...She, uh..." Shit, she was blowing it. Why was she blowing it?

Holly's head jerked up to be level to June, and she found herself looking into her eyes. Her eyes were a light shade of hazel with the green standing out more than the brown. They filled Holly with a sense of warmth, telling her that she could trust the woman sitting before her. They were the kind of eyes that said, "You can absolutely tell me anything because I will love you no matter what for it." It was the same kind of eyes her mom had. Well, that was a perfect start, wasn't it?

Taking a deep breath, Holly began again. "She was so supportive of us. No matter what we did, she was on our side. She knew Dad and I in and out, practically better than we knew ourselves. So whenever something happened with us, she would always be saying something like 'Yeah, that sounds like you' or 'Oh, you would _never_ do something like that.' She was always there when we needed her the most. She was also _really_ bubbly. Dad always said she was like a firecracker. She just had...so much energy. She always wanted to do something. Whenever I saw her, she was always moving or...or dancing and was just so excited for what life would throw at her. It always kind of kept us on our toes."

Holly found herself chuckling at this. God, she missed her mom. "And through all of that, she had a smile on her face. I can literally count on my hand how many times I saw her frown. It rarely happened. Mom always made sure to look on the bright side of a situation and try to have us see it too. That was a little harder to accomplish with Dad and I, but she tried. She really...really tried."

Holly wanted to bat at the tears in her eyes, but her fingers were still freshly painted Cherry Red. There was no stopping them, anyway. They were already falling.

Sniffling, Holly continued, "You know, she was a really good cook too."

"Yeah?" June asked quietly.

"Yeah. She always cooked for the major holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, you name it. She was a whiz with a turkey baster." Holly chuckled again with a small sniff, her mouth cracking into a smile. "You remind me a lot of her in that way. A-And with the other stuff I said too."

Now it was June's turn to hold back tears. The baby hormones were probably going to prevent her from doing that, but dammit, she would try her best. "I do?"

"Uh huh. You're going to be a great mom because of it."

Touched didn't even begin to describe how June was feeling as she was listening to this young girl pour her heart out to her and praise her for who she was. No, touched wasn't the right word. Blessed was more like it. "You think so?" her voice cracked.

Holly's nails were still wet, so she couldn't reach out to give her a reassuring hand. Instead, she offered a reassuring smile as she stared at her new friend. "I know so."

Just then, the lock on the front door began to click, alerting the two girls to look in its direction. It swung open to reveal Healy and Holland strolling inside, the latter much more chipper than he usually was.

"Hello, ladies!" he greeted as he tried to locate them.

Quickly drying her tears, Holly waved with her free hand and replied, "Hey, Dad!"

The men walked over to look at the scene as Holland asked, "What have you guys been up to?"

"Oh, tons! June made this cool burger thing for lunch which was _amazing_ , and I showed her all of my Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys stuff, and we listened to music and now, we're giving each other manicures."

"Um, you forgot about how I kicked your butt at Chutes and Ladders," June remarked with a smirk.

Holly rolled her eyes with a groan. "I was hoping you wouldn't remind me."

"Oh, never. You're not living that down anytime soon."

"Well, it sounds like you guys did a lot today," Holland said in an almost smug tone. He fired Healy a look that was definitely smug, as if to say, "Look at how right I was and how wrong you were."

Healy didn't pay any attention to the girls sitting before him. His steady glare was focused only on Holland and that stupid face of his.

With her head bent down, June spoke up, "Alright, Holly, your nails are just about...done!" She moved the polish brush off of Holly's nails and capped it on tight to its bottle.

Holly held out her hands to admire the new red pop June had given them. She really had done a great job on them. Who needed the salon when she had her own personal stylist?

"I love it!" she cried with a smile. She turned towards her father and held them out to him, asking, "What do you think?"

Holland wasn't an expert on manicures, so his input was shitty at best. Hell, the smell of nail polish made him want to gag. Well, it used to. That was before he lost his sense of smell. With that out of the way, trips to the nail salon were one less thing for him to worry about.

Still, Holly needed an answer from him. Each nail seemed to be covered over entirely, so Holland assumed that meant it was a good job. Hopefully, Holly thought the same way.

"They look great, sweetheart!" he said as interested as possible. Turning to June, he added, "You did a fantastic job on them, June."

Healy was ready to break Holland's arm again after that comment. He would have done it within two seconds if the girls weren't there. But they were. And he wanted to keep up his good reputation with them.

Instead, he was resigned to staring at Holland's smug expression yet again. Fine. He'd won today. Healy would admit that much. But Holland wasn't going to win the battle overall. Not if Healy had anything to say about it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rekindle, /ree-kin-dl/, verb: to excite, stir up, or rouse anew

Holly dragged Healy out of his bedroom later that afternoon, her hand gripped around his wrist. She was practically stomping as she pulled him towards the kitchen, dragging her feet along the floor in large strides. 

Healy tried his best to keep up but found himself struggling against her grasp. He didn't even have a moment to breathe during the ordeal, as it had happened so suddenly. Couldn't the kid at least give him a warning before deciding to lead him around like a dog? Although, he had to admit that Holly had a damn good grip on him. It looked like those self-defense lessons he gave her were paying off after all.

The moment he almost tripped on the living room carpet was when Healy decided that enough was enough. "Holly, wait," he said as he freed himself from her. He held his hand against the wall and took several deep breaths, causing Holly to turn back and stare at him.

She crossed her arms with a glare and couldn't help but be annoyed at her friend. For a self-made tough guy, he could really be a coward sometimes. It wasn't even something for him to be afraid of. She had asked Healy to do one simple favor for her, and he denied it right away. Well, joke was on him. He'd just have to expect his next birthday present to come from the dollar store rather than from somewhere nice.

"I can't do this," Healy eventually whispered.

"Why not? She's right there!" Holly pointed towards the kitchen with a firm arm, causing Healy to follow her gaze.

She was right. June was slouched in her chair at the kitchen bar, munching on some carrot sticks. She was so focused on her meal that she wasn't even paying attention to the two of them.

Healy turned back to his friend and explained, "That's what I mean. She's right there, and it's unavoidable. I have to face her no matter what."

"Well, yeah. You live under the same roof now. It was going to happen sooner or later."

Damn. She had a point. But there was no way in Hell that Healy was going to give in.

"And I choose later." He tried to turn the other way, but Holly pulled him back and made sure he stayed there.

With a sigh, she whispered, "Look, I know you still don't really trust June. For the longest time, I didn't either. But being with her today showed me how wrong I was. She's actually really cool and a lot nicer than you think."

Jesus Christ, not her too. At this rate, June could infect Healy too and have full control over the entire house within the next two days. And once that happened, they were all royally screwed.

Healy was so focused on how to prepare for that fateful day that he almost didn't realize that Holly was still talking. "And I feel like if you just _talk_ to her again, you'll see that too."

"Holly, I've been down this road before and it didn't end well."

"Please, Mr. Healy? Just this once? You won't have to do it ever again after this, I promise. I just want you to give it a try."

Holly no longer looked like she was trying to be the head of the house. Instead, she became the sweet little girl that she really was, flashing her bright blue eyes at Healy and forming her lip into a small pout. And it was working like a charm.

Healy sighed, "Fine. But just this once."

”Yes!"

Healy looked out at June and began to shake his head, as if to say, "I can't believe I'm doing this." Not even Holly's small cry of "You can do this!" was making him feel better as he walked over to June.

Healy stood over her and felt his hands begin to shake as he looked at her. Great. He was already blowing it.

Clearing his throat, he greeted, "Hey."

June looked up from her snack and blinked in shock from seeing him there. His appearance was definitely a surprise, though she couldn't figure out if it was a good one or not.

Letting a smile cross onto her face, she replied, "Hey. I was wondering when you'd come around."

God, did she really have to be like this right now? She wasn't making him feel any better.

Healy found his eyes wandering around the room as he chuckled, "Yeah. A-Anyway, so, um, I was...wondering...You know, we...haven't seen each other for a long time and...y-you're here now..."

What the hell was going on with him? Why had his ex-wife suddenly turned him from Big Bad Jackson Healy into this wimp that now stood in his place? Because that's what she did, that's why. She had always done it. And he fucking hated her for it.

But the stammering didn't stop and June looked as confused as ever as to what he was trying to say. "So I thought...you know, maybe...I...we, um..."

Jesus Christ, Jack, just spit it out. It was a simple request.

Sighing, he leaned his arm against the bar and declared, "I want to take you out for dinner tonight."

There. He said it. Now he just had to wait for it to blow up in his face.

June stared at him for a moment, but from what, he couldn't tell. She didn't flinch from the offer, so it couldn't be because she was surprised by it. The only thing Healy could think of was that she was deciding on her answer.

He didn't have to wait long for it. June eventually leaned back in her chair and stated, "Okay."

Now Healy was the one that flinched. That was the exact opposite of what he'd expected. He even had to confirm it to make sure he wasn't going insane. "'O-Okay'?"

"Yeah. I'd like that."

Healy had to give Holly props for this one. It looked like she did know something about June after all. She knew she would say yes.

Healy found himself smiling as he repeated, "Okay. Great. Tonight, it is."

"Great."

"It's a date."

Shit. He really hadn't just said that, had he? But he had. And it was too late to take it back.

The two cringed and kept their eyes locked on each other for a few moments. They could sense the awkward tension that had suddenly entered the room.

Healy spoke up, "Forget I said that."

”Yeah."

"I didn't mean it."

"I-I know."

"I'm going to go."

"Okay."

Healy then walked away from the scene in a brisk manner, muttering under his breath, "Shit, shit, shit."

~

Once the dinner was over and done with, Healy and June found themselves walking together side by side on Sunset Boulevard.

Healy couldn't believe how well it had gone. Sure, there were some awkward moments of bitter silence between them, but it was easily broken by him or June striking up conversation.

And June wasn't all that bad either. She'd acted like a genuinely nice person for once. There was no bad blood between them at all. It had almost been like how it was when they were married; When they had actually cared about each other.

Instead of heading back home after dinner, the two had decided to take a stroll through town and let the evening last a little longer.

"Since when did you become a vegetarian?" Healy asked his companion at one point in their walk.

"Since I got pregnant. I don't want to risk anything happening to the baby."

"Oh, come on. One bite's not going to hurt."

But what if it did? What the hell were pregnant women supposed to eat anyway? Healy didn't have a clue.

Realizing that, he added, "Well, I mean, I don't know anything about...all that, so maybe you're doing good by eating salads all the time."

June chuckled, "Thanks, Jack."

Healy didn't want to admit it, but he hated the silences between them. It only showed how much they had drifted apart. He needed someone, anyone to start talking. They hadn't really gotten to catch up at dinner. Maybe he could start there.

"So are you still into those...those musical things?"

"Oh, of course. If I ever stop liking them, may God help us all."

"You used to be obsessed with them. Always singing the songs on the street at the top of your lungs."

"Oh god, don't remind me. I looked like such an idiot, and everyone always stared, and-" June let out a small groan. "-It was the worst."

Healy found himself chuckling at the memory. She was right about all of it. She _had_ looked like an idiot and everyone _did_ stare. It was uncomfortable for everyone involved.

Well, except June. Back then, she didn't have a care in the world. It was one of the things that had made Healy fall in love with her in the first place. God, that hurt to remember.

June soon continued, "And all those times I dragged you to the movies to see them. God, Jack, why didn't you say something to me? I can't believe I did that to you."

"Hey, come on. Don't beat yourself up over it. Some of them were kind of nice."

"Oh, what was the one you loved? The, um..." June closed her eyes as she kept walking, trying to think. Healy knew exactly what she was talking about, but he couldn't find what the title was either. All he could come up with was, "The Irish one."

"Yeah, yeah, and that's the whole reason you liked it. Shit..."

It didn't take long for June to remember it because she gasped not even a second later. " _Finian's_ _Rainbow_!"

"That's it!"

"Yes, oh my god! You wouldn't stop talking about it for weeks."

"I remember."

"The leprechaun's song was your favorite, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was," he chuckled. Oh God. If this was going where Healy thought it was going.

"You'd always start singing it whenever you saw me."

Yup. It was.

"You remember how it goes, don't you?"

Healy looked over and saw that June was almost leaning against his arm, staring up at him with a cocky smile. And just like that, he felt the sweat begin to fall from his brow.

"N-No, actually. I mean, I would, but it's just-"

"What? That we're out in public? That never stopped you before."

"No, no, i-it's not that." God, did she have to remind him about that? He repressed memories to forget them, not remember them.

Feeling his face turn more red by the second, Healy continued, "What I mean is that I haven't needed to sing it for so long that I've just kind of...forgotten it."

”Oh, come on! You must remember at least a little."

June suddenly trailed back and leaned up against the nearest lamppost. She let the words to the jaunty tune flow off her lips while she twirled around the pole as much as a woman nine months pregnant could do.

_Something_ _sweet_ ,

_Something_ _sort_ _of_ _grandish_

_Sweeps_ _my_ _soul_

_When_ _thou_ _art_ _near_.

_My_ _heart_ _feels_

_So_ _sugar_ _candish_.

_My_ _hand_ _feels_

_So_ _ginger_ _beer_.

Healy tried his best to hide a chuckle as he watched June perform for him. He'd forgotten how talented she really was. And how it had all gone to such a waste.

June didn't deserve to be trailing around to poker game after poker game with his father. She deserved to be onstage and performing for people. It's what she'd always wanted to do. It was a shame, really. June would have probably been a great actress. Her chances of that were pretty much destroyed the moment she got pregnant. So much for that dream.

As June stepped away from the lamppost and continued walking, she chuckled, "I don't even _know_ how many times you sang that to me after the movie.”

”I think it was pretty much any time I saw you."

"Yeah, pretty much,” she laughed again. Her voice began to lilt into an Irish accent as she said, "You'd say that you were my Irish Og, and I was your graceful Susan the Silent, and we were going to be together forever."

”Oh, fuck no. Graceful, yes. Silent, definitely not."

June's quiet chuckles turned into a hearty laugh, causing Healy to do the same.

Once it subsided, June stated, "God, you were so in love with me."

That shut both of them right up. Just like that, they had returned to silence, walking as though they were forced to be together rather than enjoying each other's company.

Eventually, June stopped walking and looked towards her right, a confused expression present on her face. Giving her head a slight tilt, she asked, "Do you hear that?"

Healy looked where she was facing and saw that they were standing outside of a bar. All he could hear was loud talking and glasses being slammed against counters. Nothing to get excited over.

The two took a small step closer to the window to get a better listen, their faces almost pressed against the glass. Right then, Healy heard it: The distant playing of a song sung by a rugged man on a soft keyboard coming from a jukebox.

He knew the song. It was definitely there at the back of his mind. He just couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was. Luckily, June had the answer for him. "It's 'Brandy'!"

Healy must have looked lost because she added, "Remember? You played this for me on your guitar when we were laying in the backyard that one night."

From the way June had been talking about him all evening, it almost seemed like Healy had once been on the same level as Elvis. He must have cranked out three love songs a day for this woman when they were married. Jesus, had he really been in love with her that much?

"I sang to you a lot, didn't I?" he eventually asked.

"Hey, you used that guitar for what it was worth. And who am I to complain? I probably forced you to listen to me singing showtunes all day."

"You didn't force me."

June didn't respond to this statement, due to Healy saying it a lot quieter than he'd intended.

While they listened to the song from outside, Healy picked up on it quicker than he thought he would. "Okay, _this_  I remember."

"I knew you would.”

Tiny smiles were on both of their faces as they quietly sang along to the chorus.

_The_ _sailor_ _said_ , _“_ _Brandy,_

_You're_ _a_ _fine_ _girl_.

_What_ _a_ _good_ _wife_ _you_ _would_ _be_.”

Their voices began to trail off, never finishing the song. Years ago, that song would have meant the world to them. All it was now was a lie.

The two fell back into the silent routine, and Healy was sick of it. He was done shoving everything under the rug like it didn't happen. He had to know.

Whirling on June, he sighed, "What happened?"

June seemed taken aback by the question, as she gave her head a small shake and blinked.

"Wha...What do you mean?" she asked.

"Us. Back then. You and...and me. Why did we split up? What changed? What happened?"

June had been waiting years for this conversation to arrive. She must have practiced it at least once a week, it was ingrained in her that much. But now came the hard part: Actually saying it.

June opened her mouth to give the pivotal answer, but nothing came out. She closed it and forced herself to swallow, trying to work up the nerve. She tried again, but there was still nothing. Jesus Christ, June, spit it out already.

Making a small stamp with her foot, June looked into her ex-husband's eyes and finally said it. "I fucked up. I was unhappy, and I fucked up. I thought that once would be enough to fix it all, but it wasn't. I kept going back. And now, look at me. I'm nine months pregnant, and the father won't even be here to see his baby be born. All because I fucked up."

The tears were starting to well up inside of her now. So was the anger. "There, Jack. That's what happened. Is that what you wanted to hear? Tha-That _I'm_ the only one that messed up while you were a perfect husband? That _I'm_ the reason our marriage fell apart? Is that it?"

If they had been having this conversation a year ago, Healy might have said yes and been able to move on with his life. But a lot had changed within a year. For one, Healy realized that he wasn't perfect. He was pretty far from it, actually. And he wanted to fix that. He wanted to be better. But first, he needed to figure out where he went wrong so it wouldn't happen again.

As he watched June try to hold back her tears in front of him, Healy replied, "No. That's not it. Because I know that there's more to this. I just...can't figure out what. I mean, all these great times we had that you keep bringing up. I completely forgot about them until now. Why is that?"

Great, he was babbling now. He hated when he babbled.

"A-And March and Holly think that you're the greatest woman they've ever met, but I haven't been able to see that. All I remember you as is a bitch. 'She was a bitch then, and she's probably a bitch now.' That's what I've been telling myself. That's what I've been telling everyone, really. Why? Why can't I see how great you are like everyone else?"

Healy felt tears begin to form in his eyes as well. Shit. He hated crying in front of other people. But it was too late to stop them now.

Looking at June's foggy image through his tear-filled eyes, Healy's voice cracked, "Why do I think you're a bitch?"

June had stopped crying long after he had started talking. Now that she wasn't emotionally compromised, she could really get a good look at the man before her. He was so similar to the man she used to love and yet so different. He was hurting just like she was, and he wanted to know why. Fortunately, June had the answer he was looking for.

"Maybe that's how you wanted me to be, so that's what I became. After all, I broke your heart. Remember? It couldn’t possibly have been the other way around." She made a small shrug at Healy along with a light chuckle.

Healy didn't say anything else. He'd gotten what he wanted.

June soon found herself looking down at her feet, nodding to herself. When she was ready, she looked back at Healy and stated, "We should probably start heading back."

"Yeah."

June began walking towards the end of the street, but Healy trailed behind. He found himself feeling emptier than he was before. He'd heard everything he wanted to hear, but there was still so much more he needed to know.

But now wasn't the time for talking. Not anymore. The only thing they needed to do now was walk.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Retrospect, /re-truh-spekt/, noun: contemplation of the past; a survey of past time, events, etc.

Healy and June returned to the house just before the clock struck ten. It wasn't even midnight yet. The night was still young. However, unlike Cinderella and Prince Charming, their magic had worn off long before then.

While June went to bed upon going inside, Healy had other plans for the rest of the evening. They involved sitting on the front stoop and looking out at the street with his head in his hands.

While Healy watched the darkness and emptiness that was Stafford Drive, the only thoughts that ran through his head were those of June. Her laugh that sounded exactly like little bells. Her constant way of finding happiness wherever she went, even when he was being a dick to her. Her ability to cheat on him and kick him to the curb like their vows and her ring meant absolutely nothing.

God, what was going on with him? Healy had made sure to erase June and their marriage from his mind over the years. They were holding him back from becoming who he was meant to be: Someone that people actually looked up to. Someone he could be proud of.

But now, June was everywhere he looked. No matter where he turned, she was showing off his younger sibling that was currently in her stomach and trying to act like the years they were apart had never happened. It was almost driving him to drink again. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

While Healy maintained his gaze on the house across the street, he was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by something coming into his view. After blinking several times, he could see that it was a bottle of brown liquid slapped with a yellow label that read, "Yoo-Hoo Chocolate Milk." Now that was a drink he could get behind.

Healy looked up and saw that the bottle was being held by Holland, who was smiling down at him with a small wave.

"It didn't seem like you had any out here, so I thought I'd bring you some. You probably need it," he greeted.

God, what a guy. Healy didn't deserve him.

Taking the bottle from his hand, he replied, "Thanks."

Healy then twisted off the cap and took one long sip of the beverage. Holland was right. He really had needed it.

As his friend sat down beside him and began to light a cigarette, he asked, "So what are we 'Woe is Me'ing about tonight? Did dinner not go well?"

"No, no, it...it went great, actually."

"Did it?"

There it was. The slight rising in his tone. The smug "I was right, you were wrong" tone Holland seemed to reserve just for him. The instant mood killer. If he kept it up, Healy was going to give him a good punch in the mouth like he deserved. Nonetheless, he kept his cool.

"Yeah. We talked, and we...caught up. A lot of...old memories were brought up. It almost felt like we were...you know, together again. It was nice."

Holland stared at his friend with the smoking cigarette stuck between his lips, nodding as if he were thinking everything over. Taking the cigarette out, he stated, "I'm not really getting what the issue is, then."

Of course he wasn't. Because Holland was a fucking idiot. He was infected by June just like everyone else was.

Healy sighed, "The issue is that I _didn’t_ want it to be nice."

Holland's eyebrows began to furrow together, curious by the turn of events. Healy had him now.

"Look, I was expecting two hours of my ex-wife putting me down and me finally telling her how much she's hurt me. But that wasn't the case. Instead, it...it felt like nothing had ever happened between us, you know? Like the divorce papers were never filed and we could still say we loved each other. And I liked it! I really fucking liked it. But there was something that kept pulling me back. That little voice in my head was telling me, 'Don't do it, Jack. Don't get sucked in. She's only going to break your heart again.'"

Holland suddenly saw Healy's eyes becoming glossy in the moonlight. Holy shit, those weren't tears, were they? It had to just be coming from the moon. There was no way in Hell that Jackson Healy, the toughest guy he knew, was crying over a woman of all things.

Healy turned his head towards his friend and struggled to get the words out. Dammit, he'd never wanted Holland to see him cry. Holly was alright. They always talked about personal things with one another. But Holland? Forget it.

"I wanted it, March," Healy's voice cracked. "I wanted that life back with June. All this time, I told myself I didn't want it. But I realized that I do."

Wiping at his eyes, he continued, "But that fucking voice keeps making me see why I can't. June's moved on. She moved on a long time ago. I mean, she's having a baby, for Christ's sake. I can't take that away from her. And besides, she hurt me. _She_ cheated on _me_ , not the other way around. So naturally, you feel hurt by that."

"Sure."

"I mean, she was the only woman I ever really...cared about."

"Besides your mother."

Healy couldn't help but roll his eyes at Holland. Of all the times to bring up his mother, now wasn't one of them. "Well, of _course_  I care about my mother."

"Right."

"She's a completely different situation."

"Right, of course."

"You should know that, March."

"I do, I do. I didn't...I'm sorry."

Alright, Jack. Ease up on the guy. He already felt bad enough.

Rolling back his shoulders, Healy sighed, "What I _meant_  was that June was the only woman I ever really trusted."

Holland opened his mouth again, but his friend cut him off with, "Besides my mother."

Never mind then. Making a gentle nod, Holland closed his mouth and turned his head to the side.

Healy continued, "And that wounds a guy's pride. But with the way tonight went and how you and Holly just adore her now, everything's different. And that's another thing. You all keep saying how great June is; How she's the best woman you've ever met. I can't see it. Even after tonight, I...I still can't see it. I want to, but I can't. And the struggle just doesn't fucking end. I don't even know what the truth is anymore. How..."

Healy turned back to Holland and let his mouth hang open, waiting for the words to come. "How can I figure it out? How do I fix everything?"

Holland stared at his friend for some time, thinking everything over. He felt weird being in the therapist position. That was usually Healy's job. He was the one that listened to everyone else moan and groan while he thought of some wisdom to share. Now that the roles were reversed, Holland realized just how screwed up everything really was. Luckily, it didn't take him too long to come up with an answer.

Inching closer to Healy, he asked, "Do you mind if I tell you a story?"

"Be my guest."

Well, here goes nothing. With a sigh, Holland began what he hoped was a story that made some kind of sense and offered Healy a solution. If not, God help them both.

"I have this friend. I met him almost a year ago, so we haven't known each other too long. He didn't really give me that much time to get to know him either. He just barged into my house one day, started threatening me..."

Holland then held up his left arm with a small smirk. "...fucked up my arm a little bit."

The last comment got a chuckle out of Healy. Jesus Christ. He was never letting that go, was he?

With a chuckle of his own, Holland continued, "Now with that kind of first meeting, you wouldn't expect me to like him one bit. And I didn't. Holly loved him though. She practically disowned me as her father so she could have him instead. And I just wasn't getting it. I kept saying to myself, 'Who the fuck is this guy? He shows up at my house and tells me to get lost on _his_  case. Then, he comes back the next day and says we're working together now? Fuck that.'

”But the days go on, and we're spending a lot of time together on this case. I mean, we almost _died_ together on this case. It was awful. But all that time with each other made me see a lot of things about him. I realized that he was a guy who tried to act as tough as he could be but absolutely wasn't no matter how hard he tried, he was a _lot_ smarter than he let you think he was...and he was alone. He had been for a long time, but he didn't want to be anymore. Just like me."

Holland began to trail off for a moment, trying to compose himself before he started crying too.

"So a few days after the case was solved and we thought we went our separate ways, we actually became business partners. A few days after that, I asked him to move into our guest room. Now I did that because the moment I saw myself in him, I realized that he needed help. He needed someone to show him that there was still stuff worth living for; That there was a reason he got out of bed each day and did what he had to do. He needed someone to make him happy again. After all, he'd done that for me. Why couldn't I do the same for him?"

Holland tried his best to stop his hands from shaking, but that wasn't happening any time soon. "I also did that because he's family. And family shouldn't have to be apart from each other, right?"

Dammit. There was no chance at hiding his emotions now. His voice was cracking.

Clearing his throat, Holland added, "Granted I told him all of this when I was drunk out of my mind, so he didn't believe a single word I said. But I asked him again the next day, and he realized I was being serious. I was really giving him an opportunity to turn his life around. And do you know what he said?"

Healy could feel Holland staring at him from the side. He was waiting for an answer from him. He didn't really need one though. They both knew what it was.

Healy turned to Holland with a smile and replied, "I said yes."

"Yeah. You did. It felt good to have someone care about you, didn't it?"

Now he was crossing the line. Healy didn't want to admit that he was right, though. Not just yet.

"What's your point, March?"

"My point is that you should give June a chance. Because I gave you a chance not too long ago. And look how great you turned out to be."

If there was ever a person Healy wanted to wrap in the biggest, tightest hug in that moment, it was Holland. But, as per usual, something held him back. Damn whatever it was.

Instead, Healy smiled at him and said, "Thanks."

"Hey, it's what I'm here for."

Throwing his cigarette on the ground, Holland took to his feet and stamped it out with his foot. He gave Healy's shoulder a small punch then said, "Don't stay out here too late, alright? We have a busy day tomorrow."

"Doing what?"

"We have to find a little league coach. Remember?"

Oh yeah. Their case. Healy had been so distracted by June that he'd almost forgotten.

"Right. I'll be done in a minute."

"Take your time. Good night."

"Good night."

As they exchanged a quick smile, Holland headed towards the door and turned himself in for the night.

Healy remained on the stoop for several more minutes, taking a few swigs of Yoo-Hoo while he was at it. He kept his eyes on the stars with the faintest of smiles, thinking over all that he had learned.

What stood out the most was the realization that Holland wasn't always an idiot. That night, he was the smartest man alive.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Venery, /ven-uh-ree/, noun: the practice or sport of hunting; the chase

Holland pounded his fist against the kitchen bar with a slight growl. "I don't get it," he said aloud. "Where the fuck could this guy be?"

"Well, wherever he is," Healy chimed in, "He's doing a damn good job at hiding."

"Thanks for the obvious, Healy. Really, I appreciate it."

Healy almost jumped from the sudden attitude his friend had taken on. He should have been used to it, though. Holland was always snappy whenever he was stressed over a case, yet his outbursts continued to be a surprise whenever he said them. Although, Healy probably deserved that one. Alright, March. You win this round.

"No luck on the case?" Holly asked as she strolled into the kitchen.

Her father sighed, "No."

"We asked anyone we could find, but no one seems to have heard of Lou Peters," Healy explained.

Holland found himself reaching for some scotch and pouring it into a small glass. Drinking probably wasn't the best idea, but fuck it. It was five o’clock, and he'd had a rough day. It was the perfect reason for a scotch.

Taking a swig at the drink, he muttered, "Which of course leads us absolutely nowhere. If no one knows him, he's either using an alias or he's not from around here."

"Or he's a hermit and he doesn't go outside a lot. People don't usually know hermits," Holly offered.

Healy thought over her suggestion and found himself shrugging at it. The kid had a point. Even Holland agreed with it, though it was probably because the alcohol was beginning to course through his system and cloud his judgement. It had a habit of doing that.

"Or you're just looking at it the wrong way," a voice spoke up.

Each head turned towards the kitchen table, where June had begun to step away from her bowl of pistachio ice cream. She didn't even like pistachio, but the baby certainly did. June always had the weirdest cravings. The night before, she thought she was going to die if she didn't have at least one bite of tiramisu at dinner. With each new craving, she prayed that her kid would actually eat normal food once it was born.

"What do you mean?" Healy asked her. "What way are we looking at it?"

"Well, you're only looking at it from the criminal's perspective: What he's like, who he hangs out with, blah blah blah. What about his victims? How does he lure them?"

"He tries to get them to join his baseball team."

"So what if you looked at this from _their_ perspective and not the guy's?"

Jesus Christ, was every Healy prone to vague storytelling? It usually took Healy twenty minutes to reach one coherent thought when explaining something. Holland hated it.

Before he could snap again, Holly spoke up, "Oh yeah! Isn't this all because you're trying to find some kid he kidnapped? Ethan something?"

There it was. The scotch had worn off enough to let the lightbulb turn on in Holland's head. "We shouldn't be thinking about how to find Lou. We should be thinking about how to find the kids _through_ Lou."

"Exactly," June replied with a smirk. Now he was getting it.

Healy sighed, "Unfortunately, that just leaves us at another dead end."

"Why?" Holly asked.

"Mrs. Warner didn't give us much to work with," Holland explained. "All she told us was that she had a fight with Ethan the night he went missing, and the next thing she knew, he was gone. Her overall guess is that he ran away and something bad might have happened to him from there."

"Did she say what the fight was about?"

"No. We tried to get her to tell us, but she was too busy crying." The emotional clients were Holland's favorites. They were always so helpful and made their lives so much easier.

Holly leaned up against the wall with her head craned downward and a distant expression on her face. "So what could they have fought about?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Practically in sync, the group looked down at the floor and tapped their fingers against their cheeks, deep in thought.

June couldn't help but feel uncomfortable by the overall situation. A mother's worst nightmare is her kid disappearing. She didn't have a clue of what she'd do if her kid ever went missing. But that was parenthood, as she was learning: A surprise around every corner.

Wait. Holy shit. That was it.

"'Kids always surprise you,'" June breathed, her eyes getting larger by the second.

Holland, broken out of his trance, looked over at her and asked, "What?"

"'Kids always surprise you!' That's what you said to me the other day."

Whether the scotch had fucked him up after all or he was just an idiot, Holland didn't know. Either way, he wasn't getting it. Blinking several times at her, he replied, "And?"

June sighed as though it were obvious. "You said this guy lures kids by convincing them to join a baseball team, right?"

"Yeah."

"So that's what the fight was about!"

Now he was getting it. The others seemed to understand too.

Holly spoke up, "Ethan had probably asked his mom that night if he could join the team, but she said no. He might have just sucked it up and accepted that he wasn't joining."

"Or so his mom thought," June cut in.

Healy added, "He probably changed his mind in the middle of the night and ran away to meet Lou."

Well, look at that. Kids always surprise you. June was onto something.

Sure enough, she continued, "Now Lou's probably smart enough to not tell these kids to go to his house to find him. No normal coach would do that. He probably tells them to find him at his place of business."

"Which would most likely be the baseball diamond in the park," Holland interjected. Everything was beginning to clear up for him. Fucking finally.

June smirked his way and stated, "Exactly. And chances are, Ethan's not the only kid he took."

Holly spoke up, "So if we go to the baseball diamond-"

"-We may just see him with his next victim and catch him in the act."

Holland would have kissed June if she didn't already have a boyfriend. But God dammit, she was a genius.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked with a smile that stretched across his entire face. "We got a creep to catch. Come on!"

The group raced out of the house and made their way over to Healy's blue Camaro in the street. June trailed behind the others but tried to walk as fast as she could. Damn her added weight. She was ready for it to be gone more than ever.

"Guys!" she called as she stopped to breathe. "Wait up!"

When she eventually reached the others outside, June looked down at her stomach and hissed, "I hope you're happy about this because I'm going to get you back for it one day."

~

Night had fallen over Los Angeles, and there was still no sign of Lou Peters at the baseball diamond.

The women in the backseat were ready to call it quits while slumped against the car windows, but the men up front stayed put. Their binoculars were pressed so hard to their faces, they could leave a mark if they tried hard enough. Holly was secretly hoping they would. She'd never let Holland live down the night he had rings around his eyes.

"Do stakeouts always take this long?" June asked in a tone more whiny than she meant it to be.

Holly sighed, "Sometimes longer."

"It'll be over soon, guys," Holland assured. "I feel him coming. I just know it."

The girls rolled their eyes with a small groan. He'd been saying that for twenty minutes, and there was still no sign of some sketchy baseball fan with a kid by his side.

Even Healy had to admit that the comment was bullshit. At this point, they'd be lucky if they saw anyone taking an evening stroll.

June almost fell asleep against the window but was distracted by a shadow entering the scene off to the side. Rapidly blinking to wake up, she asked, "Guys? I see something."

"I'm not falling for that again, June," Holland remarked. "You girls already pulled a 'Made you look' on me tonight. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on you for trying to fool me again."

"Uh, March?" Healy spoke up.

Holland turned around and saw his friend pointing towards his right. Sure enough, everyone else's gaze was in the same direction. They were so entranced by whatever the fuck was out there that Holland would have thought there was a ghost coming to play baseball with his ghost buddies. Though now that he thought it, he wouldn't have minded seeing that. It'd be better than normal baseball. That much was certain.

Holland reluctantly turned the same way and put the binoculars back on. Entering the diamond was a man in sunglasses with a bushy brown beard and wearing a baseball uniform. He was pulling a young boy about twelve years old along by his wrist, causing him to trip with every other step he took.

Holland squinted through the binoculars so he could try to see the name of the team on the jersey. Once they focused, he saw it clear as day: In large, curlicue letters, "Runaways". They had him.

"Son of a bitch," Holland breathed. Growing more excited, he cried, "It's our guy!"

He started to open the car door but was so overwhelmed that he tripped into the grass.

Healy darted out of the car as well, but unlike Holland, he knew how to fucking walk.

The girls soon followed suit and rushed over to the men as they ran onto the field. They stared at Lou Peters and his victim from afar as the two made their way onto the scene.

Without even thinking, Holland found himself calling out, "Hey!"

The group each turned to him with an equal disapproving stare. The nerve of this asshole.

However, whatever shit plan he had in his head worked. Lou stopped walking and looked at them, his face unreadable in the dark.

Holland whipped his gun out of his jacket and aimed it straight ahead, calling out, "You might want to run."

With nowhere left to go, Lou did just that. He dashed off in the other direction, never letting go of the boy's wrist in his flight.

Holland watched the culprit leave the diamond with an even more dumbstruck look on his face than usual. He wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but he knew it wasn't good. "Okay, so, um...that went a lot better in my head," he said as he tucked his gun back into his jacket.

June rolled her eyes with a groan then began running in Lou's direction. Well, running as much as a pregnant woman could. It looked more like a pathetic attempt at jogging. It was sad, really.

Healy saw her run and went into a panic. "Hey, hey, June!" he called. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going after him! What are you guys doing just standing around?"

She had him there. June was doing much more than he was. Still, he couldn't let her go after him alone. She'd never catch him at the rate she was going.

With a long sigh, Healy ran after her and yelled, "Well, wait for me!"

"Healy-" Holland started but didn't do much else besides that.

Holly stared at her father with a blank expression, waiting for him to strike. Why the hell wasn't he doing anything? "Shouldn't we go after them?" she asked, trying to hold back her exasperation.

Holland replied, "I don't, I don't know."

He found himself placing his hands on his hips with a sigh, shaking his head in dismay. What the fuck was wrong with him? He was acting like a newbie cop too nervous to actually be on the job. Wasn't he supposed to be the one that ran after the crook and called the shots? Holland wasn't sure anymore as he stood on the field like a coward.

So he did the only thing he could think of: Kick home plate as hard as he could. He then turned away and shook his head, desperately wishing for a glass of scotch.

Holly broke him out of his thoughts by hitting his arm with the back of her hand and asking, "Dad?"

Holland looked over and felt his eyes widen once he followed her gaze. Underneath home plate was a large wooden door with a metal ring attached to it as a knob. That was a new one.

The Marches bent down to further examine it and were surprised to hear several voices shouting from underneath. They exchanged a brief glance with each other then turned back towards the door. It couldn't be. Could it? Well, it didn't hurt to try.

Holland gripped the ring and threw the door open to find just what he was looking for. Ten young boys were clumped together under the field, staring up at the Marches with identical scared faces. Jackpot.

Unable to hold back a chuckle, Holland greeted, "Hi. So, uh, would any of you happen to be Ethan Warner?"

A brunet boy in a red cap raised his hand at the back of the group.

"Okay, great. So why don't you just come over here, and we'll help you out. As for the rest of you, we'll get help for you soon."

"Dad!" Holly exclaimed.

"What?"

"Why can't we help the others?"

"Their moms aren't paying me!"

"DAD!"

"Okay, okay. Jesus, Holly." Holland sighed, "So new plan. We'll get you all out one at a time in an orderly fashion...but give us Ethan first."

While the Marches rescued each of Lou's victims, the Healys continued to pursue Lou through the park. He proved to be too quick for them despite the fact that he was dragging a teenager behind him. It was probably because June was in no condition to run, and Healy was trying to keep up with her rather than Lou. Whatever the case, they stood no chance.

Healy and June eventually stopped alongside a hill, watching as Lou and his victim slid down its slope and ran towards the city.

"Shit," Healy muttered, turning away from the scene.

They'd failed. Again. What seemed like a moneymaker at first had quickly descended into just another botched case for their records. They could make it their new slogan. "The Nice Guys: Fucking up your case at any charge."

June continued to look down at the two from her place on the hill, keeping a steady eye on their trail. She eventually breathed, "We can still catch him."

Did Healy hear her correctly? They could still catch him? Fuck no. June was losing it. That was the only explanation. The baby must have finally driven her to fatigue. Way to go, kid.

Still, Healy had to check to see if he was going insane too. "What?"

"We can still catch him. They're not going far. The kid keeps tripping, so he has to keep stopping. We still have a chance."

Healy sighed, "June, forget it. Neither of us are making it down that hill in time. Look how far they've gone already. Let's just turn back and call-"

"Give me your gun."

He really was going insane, wasn't he? His ex-wife had just asked for his gun. Like that made any sense.

"Are you kidding me?"

"You took me to the shooting range once. I know what I'm doing. Now give me your gun."

"I can't do that."

"Why the fuck not?" June's voice had quickly taken on an edge. She never took her eyes off of Lou when she spoke either. She was dead set on shooting the bastard.

Healy could count on his hands the number of times June had truly terrified him. It was time to add another finger.

"Because there's no chance of us getting them. Look at how far down they are! My gun's not going to reach-"

"Give me the fucking gun, Jack!"

That did it for him. The sharpness in her tone shook Healy to his core. He had no other choice but to do what she said.

Healy pulled out his .38 from his back pocket and tossed it over to June.

June held it out in front of her and aimed it perfectly at Lou's back. He was stopped beside a tree, as the kid had stumbled once again. Perfect.

It had been a long time since she'd last held Healy's gun. Not since their day at the shooting range, when he'd taught her all there was to shooting one. All at once, his tricks came flooding back to her mind. She wasn't scared in the slightest. She knew exactly what she was doing.

Taking a deep breath, June steadied her aim then pulled the trigger. A loud bang echoed through the area, causing her to take several steps back. She'd made her mark, though.

Lou Peters had crumbled to the ground at the bottom of the hill, releasing his grip on his victim. The boy looked up in her direction, but June didn't notice him. She was too overwhelmed by her success.

"I did it," she breathed.

June looked at Healy and found him with the same stunned look on his face as her own.

"I did it!" she repeated in a more confident tone.

Healy stated, "Holy shit. That worked."

"I shot a guy!"

"Nice work!"

The two were so goddamn giddy, they didn't really know what to do. So they did the first thing they could think of: Give each other a hug.

They wrapped the other person in their arms and squeezed as tight as they could, relishing in the moment. For the first time in years, June Healy wasn't feeling sorry for herself. She was proud. Damn proud.

Healy would never admit it, but in that moment, he was too.

~

The cops eventually showed up to the diamond to close off the area and understand the facts of what went down. Each boy's mother had been contacted as well and rushed onto the scene to bring her son home.

While Holland finalized his agreement with Mrs. Warner off to the side, Healy and June were talking to a cop about taking down Lou.

"That was a good shot you made with Mr. Peters, sir," the cop told Healy. "Who knows how many more kids he would have taken if you didn't take him down."

”I appreciate that, Officer, but the real credit here goes to her."

June couldn't hold back her shock from the comment, as she turned from Healy to the cop with wide eyes.

The cop asked, "Is that true, ma'am? You were the one that shot him?"

June didn't feel like the event had been real. She had no idea what the hell had come over her back there. Maybe it was seeing the boy being dragged around by a certified creep, desperately trying to break free and go home. It must have activated whatever maternal instincts she had been developing over the past nine months. Maybe she was cut out for the job after all.

June realized that the cop was still staring at her in anticipation of an answer. Shit, say something. You can't keep a cop waiting like this.

"Yes. Yes, I did, Officer."

That was a smile forming on the cop's face. It had to be. "In that case, that was some fine work you did back there, ma'am. You saved a lot of lives tonight."

Just like that, June's pride came rushing back to her. So this is what it felt like to be appreciated. It was worth waiting this long to finally feel it. "Thank you," she replied with a smile.

The cop tipped his hat towards them then walked back towards his car, calling, "You have a good night now!"

"Thank you!" Healy and June chorused.

They waved goodbye to the cops even when their cars pulled out of the diamond and off into the city.

Once their sirens faded away, the two found themselves in their usual circumstances: An awkward silence. Great. Just what they needed.

Healy and June faced each other without really looking at the other person, instead deciding that their feet were a much better view.

"Nice job," Healy found himself saying. "You know...b-before."

God, he felt like such an idiot. His ex-wife just killed a man in front of him, and he still acted jittery in front of her. Well, maybe the fact that she killed a guy was part of it, but he was still embarrassed by it.

June seemed unreadable in response to his comment. It was like she didn't want to accept it, but the genuine kindness in his tone couldn't make her say no. All she could reply with was, "Thanks."

They soon fell back into the silent routine, but this time was the last straw. Healy was done trying to act like he had nothing to say to June. He had so much to say. He'd been keeping it inside for years, and it finally wanted to get out. He tried to say it yesterday, but he fucked it up. He'd fucked up a lot of things over the years. It was time to make up for it.

Just as Healy opened his mouth to speak, June did as well. Lucky for them, they both said the same exact thing.

"I'm sorry."

There. It was out. There was no way to take it back.

A feeling of warmth began to emerge as the two words lingered between them. It wasn't shock that was present on both of their faces once they realized what the other person had said. It was relief. They'd waited so long to hear those words. At last, here they were. And they were music to their ears.

June was about to say something, but Healy cut in, "No, I...I mean it. I...wasn't enough for you. I couldn't give you what you wanted when we were married. I couldn't be the husband you wanted. So you went to find someone who could. And I get it. I do. You had...every right to go find someone new. And I just...didn't get it. I made it all about me. I get hurt one time, and suddenly, everything's your fault. God, I can't believe I kicked you out."

Healy turned away from June, trying to keep himself from crying. It was a lot for the big tough guy, the manly man, to be the one apologizing for his mistakes. Then again, maybe that's what made him a man after all.

Turning back to her, Healy's voice cracked, "I disappointed you...and I'm sorry."

This was the man June had fallen in love with. The man who knew when it was time to be strong and when to let his guard down. Sometimes, that happened at the same time. It just made him all the more beautiful in her eyes.

Smiling her sweetest smile at him, June replied, "It's okay. I forgive you."

Healy made a quiet sigh, closing his eyes in relief. There. He did it. And it didn't end in disaster. Who would have thought? But there was still one more thing he needed to say.

"Me too."

The two smiled at each other for some time, feeling happier with each other than they had in a long time. They almost didn't want to end.

Unfortunately, Healy forced it to. Clearing his throat, he stated, "Well, glad we got that over with."

"Yeah, me too."

"That was...wow." Healy turned away and began wiping the sweat from his brow. "I really didn't think I was going to be able to do that. I mean, today's been crazy in general, but this right here takes the cake."

"Jack."

"You'd think finding a baseball-loving kidnapper and a bunch of kids living underground would take it, but no. Telling your ex-wife that _you_ ruined your marriage and not her. That's fucking scary."

"Jack," June repeated, louder than before.

It was the first time Healy realized that she had been talking. He turned back around and found her shaking while clutching her stomach.

"My water just broke," she breathed, the distress clear in her eyes.

Healy was as thick as could be when it came to female anatomy, so he had no idea what the fuck she was talking about. Blinking several times, he asked, "What?"

"M-My water j-just broke."

"I don't...I don't know what that means. Do you need me to get you water? I don't know where I can, but I'm sure there's somewhere-"

"Jack!" June pleaded as her voice wavered.

Maybe there was just something Healy wasn't seeing. He noticed how much of a mess she had become in a matter of seconds, and everything fell into place.

It was the clutched stomach that did it for him. It was time.

"Oh shit."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parturition, /pahr-too-rish-uhn/, noun: the process of bringing forth young

The drive to the hospital took about five minutes. It was probably because Healy drove at 80 miles per hour to get there.

It was the most nerve-wracking drive of his life. All of the fear he'd been building up about June giving birth had finally caught up to him. He could only think about everything that could go wrong if he didn't drive faster and get them to the hospital. Everyone yelling in the backseat didn't help at all, leading him to push on the gas pedal a lot harder than he'd wanted to. Luckily, they arrived at the hospital before anything major could happen, and June was whisked off for delivery.

Healy sat outside in the waiting area, hunched over in his seat. He stared straight ahead at the white wall across from him while his foot tapped in an anxious rhythm against the floor. He had hoped his nerves would stop once he knew June was being taken care of. Instead, they got worse. Go figure.

Healy was eventually shaken out of his thoughts by a voice beside him greeting, "We're back."

Shaking his head, he looked over to see a smiling Holland and Holly.

"We brought gifts," the former stated as he held up his new purchases: A blue teddy bear and a balloon reading, "It's a boy!" They were a nice thought. June would appreciate them.

Healy then noticed that Holly had a similar set of gifts in her hands except her bear was pink and her balloon said, "It's a girl!" Wait, two? June was only having one kid. Well, he hoped.

"Why do you have two?" Healy asked.

Holland explained, "Oh, well, you know, since we don't know what she's having, Holly and I figured we'd get both. Just in case."

Healy thought that made sense, leading him to shrug in reply.

It wasn't enough for Holly, though. Rolling her eyes, she trudged over to a nearby chair and sighed, "We have a bet going."

That made much more sense. Holland wasn't one to do something entirely out of the kindness of his heart. While that may be a part of it, there always had to be something in it for him too.

Holland sat down beside Healy, putting his gifts on the ground, and noticed how tense his friend appeared to be. "You okay?" he asked as he moved himself closer.

Healy didn't want to tell him he was sitting a little too close for comfort. He was already too jittery. Holland making a big deal about sitting away from Healy was the last thing he needed. He'd take sitting pressed against each other in silence over Holland running his mouth any day.

Healy's train of thought eventually came back to him, remembering that Holland had asked him a question. Shit. He hoped he hadn't been staring off for too long.

Clearing his throat, he replied, "Y-Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

Yeah right. Healy was shaking like a wet dog. His tapping foot was the loudest thing in the hallway. He was anything but fine.

"Bullshit," Holland replied. "What's up?"

Healy wanted to tell him. There was an answer somewhere inside of him. But for some reason, he couldn't get it out. Maybe he was too embarrassed to admit that he was worried about June. Maybe they were feelings he didn't want to confront. Maybe it all just didn't feel real. Healy didn't know. But he couldn't leave Holland hanging like this for who knew how long.

The best reply he could come up with was, "I guess I'm just nervous."

Healy was expecting some kind of snarky reply back. Something along the lines of "You? Nervous? That's saying something coming from you, Healy. Especially if you're nervous about June." It seemed like something Holland would say. He was a dick like that.

Instead, Healy saw his friend nodding to the side with a smile. Was he chuckling too? Shit, he _was_  thinking of a snarky response, wasn't he? The son of a bitch.

Healy tensed his sweaty hands into a fist but undid them as quickly as he made them. Because what Holland did reply with completely threw him off.

"I get it. I was the same way when Holly was born."

Holly perked up upon hearing her name. She hadn't been paying attention to the conversation, but she hoped her name was being used in a good context and not an embarrassing one.

Holland continued, "It's totally normal to be nervous about the first kid. I mean, you don't know what's going on in there. You don't know if your wife's okay or what the kid's going to be like. It's..."

He began to wipe his brow as the memories came flooding back to him. He felt the stress he had on the day Holly was born rising to the surface, as if it had never left and was waiting for the right moment to strike again.

Heaving a sigh, he breathed, "It's fucking terrifying. But you realize in the end that there was no reason to be scared. Because the moment you see your kid's face for the first time, you know that everything's going to be just fine."

Holland glanced at his daughter across from him and could see the soft smile on her face. He could tell she was touched by the sentiment, causing him to wink with a smirk that said, "It's true, you know."

Healy appreciated the advice from a father with experience, though he wasn't sure if it made him feel better. He was definitely calmer than he was before but not completely. He didn't really mind the unbalance. He already felt it all the time. It was routine now. There was nothing he could do about it.

Reality came flooding back to them once Holland remarked, "Although, this technically isn't your kid. It's your...half-sibling. Damn, that's weird."

Healy felt a shiver crawl down his spine. He was still creeped out by the truth of it all. That part of his current stress was definitely never going away. Thanks, Dad.

"Don't remind me," Healy muttered with a sigh, burying his face in his hands. He was hoping the conversation would end there. But this was Holland March he was talking to. That was asking too much.

Sure enough, Holland continued, "And it's your ex-wife's kid but not yours. It's your _dad's_. That must _really_ suck for you, doesn't it? It makes your life a lot more complicated than it needs to be, right? Look, I'd love to give you advice for this too, but I'm an only child. I never had to go through having a younger sibling. So you're on your own for this one. Sorry."

Yup. Healy definitely didn't feel any better.

Holland eventually gave him a pat on the back, stating, "But look on the bright side. You'll never have to see June again once this is over."

Healy felt himself straighten up in his seat at his friend's comment. He was right. They promised that June would leave once the baby was born. She would go back to her house in San Diego and be with the real love of her life. It would be like the past week had never happened.

But maybe it didn't have to end just yet. Maybe. Healy just needed a little more time to think about it.

~

The sun was beginning to rise over Los Angeles, and the Marches were still sitting in the waiting area. They were slumped down in their chairs, trying to keep themselves from falling asleep in case there was any news. They took shifts at one point so the others could sleep, but the waiting was too much for them. There would be no rest for the Marches until that damn kid was born.

"Why is it taking so long?" Holly whined, draped against her father's shoulder.

Holland replied, "Hey, be grateful it's only been twelve hours. You took nineteen, missy."

Nineteen? God. Labor sucked.

Holly cringed as she heard this, grateful that she wasn't giving birth anytime soon. Labor was something she would happily wait until adulthood for.

Just then, the door to the delivery room opened, causing each person to straighten up in their seat. They looked over at the young nurse poking her head out the door with a bright smile.

"Mr. Healy?" she greeted.

Healy nodded to confirm his identity. He hoped he didn't look too dazed. What a first impression that would be.

"They're ready for you."

The moment had finally arrived. And Healy wasn't ready in the slightest. Swallowing his fear, he stood up and walked towards the room.

Holland and Holly stood up as well, but the nurse stated, " _Only_  Mr. Healy."

Well, fine then. Kick them to the curb. It wasn't as if they were good friends of June's or anything. It wasn't like she was staying in _their_ house.

Nonetheless, Holland didn't start a fight. He nodded instead and sat back down. He could wait a little longer. It wasn't like he'd just waited twelve hours or anything.

Healy ventured into the delivery room by himself and heaved a sigh of relief once the door shut behind him. There was June, practically glowing against the sunrise streaming in through the window. She didn't look like a mess at all. If anything, the sunrise made her look even more beautiful.

Healy almost didn't remember where they were or why they were there. But then, he saw her: The tiny baby swaddled in a pink blanket, sleeping in her mother's arms.

Healy approached the bed with caution, causing June to look over at him. A beaming smile came on her face the moment she saw him.

"I told you it was a girl," she greeted.

Healy chuckled, "Alright. You were right. I was wrong."

"Thank you."

Healy bent down beside them and looked over at his new sister. A trace of blonde hair could be seen on her head, taking after her mother in that aspect. What really stood out was her chubby cheeks, making her the cutest thing on Earth. Those were a Healy trademark. Oh yeah. She was one of them.

"She's beautiful," Healy mused.

June tried to think of something to say back, but she was still overwhelmed by the labor and the fact that she was officially a mother. The only thing she could say was, "Yeah. She is."

They stared at the baby for some time, relishing in the moment they were having. There wasn't anything else to say, really. There was no need to. All that mattered now was the little baby that they had before them.

Healy could have stared at her for hours if June hadn't broken him out of his trance. He was so focused that he almost didn't hear her ask, "Do you want to hold her?"

Healy jolted out of his state and blinked several times at June. Her kind eyes were staring at him with a small smile to match. Holy shit. She was serious. She was really trusting him to hold her kid. With the offer of a lifetime before him, how could Healy say no?

"Can I?"

"Yeah, of course."

"O-Okay."

June began to sit up in the hospital bed and turned towards Healy. "Easy, easy," she soothed as she held the baby out to him.

Healy let her fall into his arms then pulled her to his chest, making sure he held her tight. She was definitely a lot tinier than she looked. Healy started getting scared that he might accidentally crush her with his big muscles.

All of his fears faded away once the baby started cooing and snuggled her head against his chest. Healy couldn't help but chuckle with a smile at the sudden display of affection. She liked him. She really liked him. It was one for the books for sure.

"Hey," Healy whispered to her. "Hi. I'm Jackson. You can call me Jack, though. I'm..."

The words seemed to stick against the back of his throat. He wanted to say them more than anything, but something was holding him back.

No. No more of this crap. Healy wasn't going to be afraid of saying what was on his mind anymore. He couldn't afford to be silent any longer. This baby needed someone to look up to. And he was going to make damn sure it was him.

"I'm your big brother. Yeah. Can you believe that?"

Healy looked over at June to find her with the biggest smile he had ever seen on her. Her eyes appeared to be getting misty too. There was only one word Healy could describe that look with: Proud. Someone was proud of Jackson Healy. How about that?

A question entered Healy's mind, and he was surprised that he hadn't asked it already. "What's her name?"

June looked away from him for a moment, wringing her hands together in her lap. Biting her lip, she replied, "I thought you could name her."

Just like that, fear entered Healy once more. He hoped June knew how daunting the task was for him.

Healy looked down at the baby and tried to think of a name for the little beauty in his arms. He couldn't get over how gentle she was. She had barely made a peep since he'd entered the room. She was the quietest baby he'd ever seen.

There were a million names for Healy to choose from, but only one was standing out to him.

"Susan."

~

Holland and Holly were pressed up against the door outside the delivery room. They were trying to hear everything going on inside, but all they could get were traces here and there. The other parts didn't really matter to them, though. All they were looking for was a name.

Once Healy officially named her Susan, Holly began to grin from ear to ear. "Yes!" she cried, pumping her fist.

Holland let out a growl and stomped off with his presents for a boy in his arms. He hoped little Susan was happy. She just cost him ten bucks.

~

"Susan," June mused as she fought back tears. "It's perfect."

Healy wanted to say something back, but all he did instead was smile at her. He didn't know what else there was to say. For once, he actually preferred the silence. It allowed him to treasure being with June and her baby.

With the three of them together in one room, they almost looked like a real family. Healy was beginning to feel like they were too. He hadn't known that feeling in over a year. It was good. Damn good. And he never wanted it to end.

Eventually, June let out a small gasp, "Oh, we should let Holland and Holly in."

Oh, right. They were there too. Healy had almost forgotten about them. Alright, he had completely forgotten about them, but they didn't have to know.

"Oh, yeah," Healy replied. "I'll go get them."

He handed Susan back to June then went over to the door. He poked his head out and waved the waiting Marches inside, throwing in a nod for emphasis.

Holland and Holly stepped in with wide grins and their gift on display. "Hey," they chorused, their effort in being casual working like a charm.

Holland stated, "Let me see the little girl."

They stepped over to the bed and awed in unison once they saw Susan resting against her mother's chest.

"She's so cute," Holly mused.

June replied, "Isn't she?"

"You know, I was getting a little scared there for a moment," Holland remarked. "I was almost starting to think that you didn't want to see us anymore."

June chuckled, "Do you really think I'd say goodbye without letting Susie meet her godparents first?"

Each person began to turn to her with their own pair of wide eyes. What she'd said was a surprise but not for the same reason.

"Godparents?" Holland and Holly chorused.

Healy asked, "Susie?" He had said Susan, hadn't he? Where the hell had Susie come from?

June decided to address his concern first. "Oh, come on. You don't go around having people call you Jackson everyday, do you?"

Healy's only reply was a shrug. Alright, fine. She had a point there.

Turning to the others, June continued, "And I meant to discuss this with you earlier, but it just never came up. You wouldn't...mind being her godparents, would you? If anyone can teach her all she needs to know in life, it's you guys."

"Don't forget treating her right during the holidays," Holland added.

June chuckled at the comment while Holly gave her dad a small punch in the arm.

"What? It's true!" he protested.

He noticed his daughter was smiling at him and made a silent sigh. No need to worry. It was all in good fun.

"We'd be honored," Holly declared to June.

Healy wasn't paying attention to the godparent discussion. He was too focused on his own offer for June. Come on, Jack. The only time to do it is now.

Clearing his throat, he stated, "June, I, um...I have something to ask too."

Every eye was focused on Healy now. There was no turning back.

He felt the pressure begin to rise around him, and regret started to settle in. Dammit, this was a terrible idea. What made him think this would work? There was no way in hell it was going to bring things back to the way they were. But he could damn well try.

Never taking his eyes off of June, Healy explained, "June, this week with you has been...absolutely crazy. But really, that's just every week for us. You being there just made it all the more fun. And we love having you around."

He held himself back for a moment and nodded, confirming it was true. "Yeah, we do. And you know, we don't know when Dad will be back, and I'd hate for you to go back to being alone at the house. So I was wondering if...you wanted to stay with us a little longer. Just until Dad comes home."

June held her breath as the offer was laid out before her. If someone had told her that Jackson Healy was going to come back in her life one day and ask for a fresh start, she would have laughed in their face and said they were nuts. But here she was, speechless in a hospital bed with her ex-husband doing just that.

June looked over at the Marches for their opinion and saw them with the same warm smile that Healy had. She wasn't losing it after all. This was really happening.

June felt the tears well up in her eyes, as she knew what her answer was.

She opened her mouth to reply but was stopped by the sudden slamming of the delivery room door.

"Did I miss it?" a voice asked in a frantic tone.

Everyone jolted around to the doorway and was shocked to find another member of their party coming to join them.

The man panting in the doorway was old but not enough to be called elderly. He was heavyset but still pretty fit for his age, and there were highlights of his youthful black amongst his now gray hair. It was funny. He almost looked like Healy in a way.

The Marches had no clue who it was that stood before them, but Healy knew exactly who it was. And he hated him all the more for it.

Heaving the largest sigh he could muster, he said the two words he'd come to dread over the last few years.

"Hi, Dad."


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valedictory, /val-i-dik-tuh-ree/, adjective: bidding goodbye; saying farewell

Everyone in Kenneth Healy's squadron knew that June was pregnant. It was something he went on about for months. He couldn't help it. He was just so damn excited about it. And the troops didn't blame him for it. This was his first kid in forty years. He had every reason to be excited.

When they realized that June's due date was approaching, the Air Force decided to let Ken go home so he could be there for the arrival. He returned to San Diego as quickly as he could but came home to find no sign of June at the house. That could only mean she had gone into labor and was at the hospital. But which one?

Ken searched every hospital within the city, but there had been no sign of June in any of them. After he left the last one empty-handed, his gut told him to go to L.A. He didn't have a goddamn clue as to why. There was nothing there for them in L.A. But he was running out of time and he didn't have a choice in the matter, so he set off for L.A.

And sure enough, he found his wife and his new daughter waiting for him there. But the biggest surprise was seeing his youngest son with her. Huh. Maybe there was something for them in L.A. after all.

Ken explained his situation to everyone once he arrived, keeping them hooked with an attentive ear. Holland and Holly were gripped by every word, but it wasn't so much the story that was fascinating them. It was the fact that they were finally meeting another Healy. They were almost starting to think that they had all gone extinct and Healy was the last of his kind. But here was a man that looked just like their friend but twenty years older and claimed to be his father.

The Marches had so many questions for Ken, but they could barely get the words out without making themselves look like dumbfounded idiots. So they let him do all the talking instead. They didn't mind. They could hear him talk all day, which is what he ended up doing.

June tried to pay attention during her boyfriend's rambling, but the effects of pushing a baby out for twelve hours had taken its toll and she fell asleep.

Healy was the most affected by Ken's reappearance. He sat in a small hospital chair while his father spoke on and on, giving him the coldest, hardest glare he could muster. Calling him angry was an understatement. He was pissed behind belief. Healy had bared his heart and soul to his ex-wife over the past two days, saying things he'd held back for years. Hell, he'd practically told her he still loved her.

And he knew June felt it too. He could sense it when they went out to dinner. It became definite on the baseball diamond. For the second time in a year, Healy had been ready to turn his life around. He asked June to stay with him for a little longer, and she was about to say yes. He just knew it.

Just like that, they would have been Mr. and Mrs. Healy again. They would have been the happy couple that serenaded each other as loud as they could and never took their eyes off one another. People would have looked at them and said, "Why can't _we_ be like that?" It would have been their glory days all over again. But it just had to come crashing down, didn't it? Ken just had to come in and ask if he missed his daughter's birth like the asshole he was. He deserved to miss it. He'd ruined Healy's life plenty of times. Now he could return the favor.

As the day went on, June was eventually discharged with Susie by her side. A cool night had fallen over the city, so they at least didn't have to drive for two hours in the summer heat. Thank God. If that was the case, June would have gladly asked to stay for an extra day.

While the Marches helped her put Susie in the car, Ken decided to talk to his son on the hospital steps. They didn't say much at first. It started out with them staring at each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. This had become routine for the Healy men. Their lives were complicated enough. They didn't need to make it any worse by trying to talk to one another.

Ken was the one that ignited the conversation. He cleared his throat and asked, "So did she come to you or did you come crawling back to her?"

God, did he have to be like this? Now? He couldn't have just one conversation with his son without it beginning as "Look at the fabulous girlfriend I have that you don't." Fucking asshole.

Healy managed to keep his cool in front of his father. He'd gotten good at that. "She, uh, came to me. Found me through the Yellow Pages."

"Really?"

Healy nodded as his head tilted down to his feet. He sensed something that sounded like interest in his father's tone. It could only lead to the next step of their usual pattern: Casual conversation.

"How's that whole thing going? The, uh, detective thing," Ken said.

"It's good. It's good. We're pretty popular. We get good cases, make good money, save a few lives. That's how my week goes."

Ken found himself chuckling at his son's wit. He always forgot about that part of him. He didn't realize how much he missed it.

Healy asked, "How's work with you?"

"Ah, you know. Same old shit. I fly planes and fire missiles. It's been that way for forty years."

Healy felt himself grow uncomfortable again. That was just as long as he'd been alive. And he knew his father knew it. He could see it as he tried to look away from him.

Ken turned back towards the car and saw June talking to the Marches, saying her final goodbye to them. She looked good. Better than she had in months. That smile on her face wasn't because of him. He could never get June to smile like that for him. That was all his son. And he couldn't be prouder.

Turning back to Healy, Ken declared, "You did good."

Healy had been lost in his own thoughts, so he only registered that his father was talking. "Hm?" he replied in a daze.

God dammit, Jack. He probably looked like a dumbass in front of his father. He always did.

Ken decided to go easy on him though. Just this once.

"With June. You did good. She looks pretty happy."

Healy took notice of June in the distance and couldn't help but make a silent sigh at her. God, she was beautiful. And funny. And smart. And pretty damn tough. She was everything he had fallen in love with as a kid. It was a shame that they had to grow up.

"Yeah," Healy mused, never taking her eyes off of her. "She does."

Just then, June walked over to them and greeted, "We're all set, Ken."

"Perfect." Ken gave June a quick kiss. "I can't wait to be with both of my girls."

Healy found himself cringing at the sudden exchange of affection. He had hoped to never see their love in person, but it looked like that wish wasn't coming true.

Ken then turned back to Healy and said, "Well, we better be heading off. Hit me up sometime, will you? I'd love to talk more."

"Sure, Dad."

They both knew that wouldn't happen anytime soon. But a man could dream.

Ken began to walk towards the car, but June stayed put before Healy. She called back, "I'll be there in a minute, sweetie!" She looked down at her feet before facing Healy and declaring, "Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye."

"Yeah, I guess so."

God, this was hard. A lot harder than he wanted it to be. Leaving each other wasn't supposed to be like this. The last time it happened, they had been yelling that they hoped to never see each other again. Why did he still want to see that blonde hair shining in the sun alongside those inviting hazel eyes? Why did he long to hear her voice again or listen to her laugh for years to come? Why did he never want to be apart from her?

There wasn't enough time for Healy to think about it because June had already launched herself into a hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

Healy wrapped his arms around her as well and tightened his grip, wanting that hug to last as long as it could. "You're welcome.”

Once they let go, he chuckled, "It's weird hugging you without your stomach getting in the way."

"I know, right? I'm going to have to get used to this."

The two exchanged a brief laugh before Healy continued, "Hey, don't forget to send us a Christmas card. I want to know how my sister's doing."

"Only if you send one first," June replied with a small punch to his arm. "And you act like you're never going to see her again. I'll bring her around whenever you want me to."

"Yeah?"

June found herself hesitating before answering. She was too busy staring into Healy's eyes. Did they always have that sparkle to them or was that just from the light they stood under? Maybe she needed to see him more to find out.

Remembering the conversation, June breathed, "Yeah."

She began to take several steps back but looked at Healy one last time. "Goodbye, Jack," her voice cracked as she tried not to cry. Dammit, she had been doing good.

But it was okay. Healy was doing the same thing. "Goodbye, June."

June pushed herself towards the car before the situation got worse and sat down beside her sleeping daughter.

Healy felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Holland standing beside him. Holly joined him as well and the three watched as the car started to pull away.

"Goodbye, you guys!" June called to them as she poked her head out the window.

The Marches chorused, "Goodbye!"

"It was nice meeting you!" Holly said with a wave.

Holland then cupped his hands over his mouth and yelled, "Good luck sleeping tonight because you never will again once you get home!"

"Oh, thanks! That helps a lot!" June replied with a raised middle finger out the window.

The group laughed at the gesture and watched her drive away until she was nothing more than a dot in the distance.

"I'm going to miss her," Holly said once she was gone.

Talk about a stab to the heart. The men were fine just thinking it. Holly didn't have to go and say it out loud like that.

As the loss of June began to settle in, the men sighed, "Me too."

They kept their eyes on the horizon in silence, but the moment didn't last long. It was broken by Holland remarking, "Well, there is one bright side to all of this. You can get your room back, Healy."

"Oh, thank God," Healy breathed as he rubbed his back. He'd really hated that couch. No wonder Holland didn't want people sleeping on it. "I definitely won't miss the couch."

"Hey, you insisted."

Damn. There was no argument to that. Healy lost this round.

"Alright, alright. Don't start, March."

Holland wrapped his arm around Holly and began leading her through the parking lot towards their car.

While they walked, she asked, "So what do we _do_ exactly as godparents?"

"Technically, we're supposed to act as role models to the kid. You know, be like their second parents, teach them right from wrong. That kind of crap. But really, it's just a title you get so you can give the kid more money on holidays than you would as a normal relative."

"Oh, okay."

The idea of being a godparent didn't sound so fun to Holly anymore. All it sounded like was more work on her end. Why the hell did she say yes to this?

Healy didn't follow them to the car right away. He was still standing on the hospital steps, looking out at the street that June had driven away on.

There was once a time in Healy's life where he never wanted to see his ex-wife's face again. Now, he couldn't wait to see it again.

A smile appeared on Healy's face as he stared out at the dark road that lay ahead of him. He was happy that June had chosen his dad over him. She'd finally found the person she loved.

Healy was fine with being her second choice. Saying yes to letting her stay with them was never about trying to spark their old feelings for each other. He just wanted to do the right thing for once.

Despite what his heart was telling him, Healy didn't gain a wife that week. He gained a friend. And what could be better than that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all the support I’ve gotten since this is my first time posting on AO3. I’ve wanted to find a way to contribute to this fandom and my all-time favorite movie, so what better way to do it through writing? So again, thanks so much for reading, and be sure to look out for more from me soon! :)


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